Baby, You Wouldn't Last
by BroodyAndCheeryForever
Summary: BRUCAS! Brooke and Lucas are both with other people when they meet and have an affair. Will they be able to make it without getting caught? Will their lust and attraction grow into something more?
1. Beautiful Disaster

**A/N: Alright everyone! Here is my NEW story! I can't even tell you how excited I am! I hope you guys like it! Make sure and leave me a review, telling me what you think so I know if I should update or not. Anyways, I'm really excited, I hope you all like it! **

**P.S. I don't own One Tree Hill or any of the characters...If I did, it would probably be a teensy bit different than it is :)****

* * *

**

Chapter One- Beautiful Disaster 

"Averie Kendall!" Brooke yelled from across the playground, "Don't scare your mommy like that, you are gonna give me a heart attack!"

Brooke ran across the playground to grab her little girl. Averie had climbed up the stairs and up to the tower, then preceded to climb over that wall so she was dangling off of the side of the playground. Brooke didn't know how she was ever gonna live through raising this child. She reached her arms up, grabbing the little girl from where she was dangling.

"Averie, you can't do that baby. You are gonna get hurt" Brooke said, holding the 4-year old and walking over to the bench next to the playground.

"Sorry mommy" Averie pouted, wrapping her little arms around her mother's neck.

"It's okay, just don't do that again" Brooke told the little girl as she set her back on the ground. And off she ran. Brooke sat on the bench watching her climb up the stairs and go down the slide.

"Hi mommy!" Averie yelled, waving as she got to the top of the slide before she slid down. Brooke waved at the little girl, smiling.

She had always hated bringing Averie to the park ever since she was little. She only did it cause she knew it was good for her. But that little girl of hers was a climber and always getting into trouble. You would never believe it looking at her though. She was wearing a hot pink princess dress that poofed out at the bottom. She had been wearing it for a week straight, refusing to take it off. She had dark brown hair like her moms, cut to her shoulders and curled under with a large pink flower clip on one side holding her bangs out of her eyes. Then there were her eyes. She had the prettiest blue eyes you'd ever seen. Those eyes mixed with her dimples got her out of a _lot_ of trouble a _lot_ of the time.

"Five more minutes Ave" Brooke said, standing up and walking over to the swing set where Averie was climbing on to a swing.

"Will you push me mommy?" Averie asked, poking her bottom lip out into a pout and making her big, blue puppy dog eyes.

Brooke shook her head, smiling at her daughter, and she definitely was just that, _her_ daughter. She was a mini-Brooke and she knew how to get _what_ she wanted, _when_ she wanted.

Brooke walked behind her little girl and grabbing the chains on each side of the swing, pulling the swing back and letting it go.

"Remember when I showed you how to pump your legs to make you go higher?" Brooke asked, reminding her little girl.

"I think so" Averie said, scrunching up her little face in confusion. Brooke could tell that she was trying to think hard about when to pull her feet under her and when to kick them out in front of her.

"Remember, in…out…in…out" Brooke smiled as the little girl started to follow her instruction. "Yeah just like that!" Brooke grinned as Averie began pumping her legs.

"I'm doing it momma!" Averie exclaimed, a huge smile on her face that matched her moms, dimples and all.

"Good job honey" Brooke said, clapping her hands for the four year old. "I'm gonna go gather up our stuff then we're gonna go, okay?" Brooke told the little girl, giving her a thumbs up. Averie just nodded and went back to concentrate on pumping her legs.

"In…out…in…out" Brooke heard Averie saying to herself as she walked away from the swing.

Brooke walked over to the bench, picking up her bag and gathered Averie's things. She put Averie's baby doll Lucy into her doll stroller and when she stood up, she noticed him.

"Hey" he smiled down at Brooke.

"I didn't think you were going to make it" Brooke said, in a serious tone. She wasn't looking at him, she kept her eyes focused on her little girl on the swings.

"I told you I would be here, so of course I'm gonna be here" he told her, reaching a hand up to her arm.

Brooke looked over at him and into his blue eyes. Blue eyes that matched her daughters. "I know Lucas. Sometimes you just need to try harder, at least for her…"

And that's when Averie spotted him, "Daddy!" She squealed, jumping off of her swing and falling to the ground. She stood up, brushed off her dress and continued running towards her mom and dad, a huge smile on her face.

"Hey princess!" Lucas smiled, kneeling down and opening his arms to catch his running daughter.

"I missed you" Averie whispered into his neck as she hugged him.

"I missed you too" He said, pulling back and kissing the little girl. She smiled up at him. "Wait a minute" Lucas said, bringing a finger up to his chin as if he was thinking. Averie started to giggle. "Something is different" He said, scratching his chin, making the little girl giggle even more.

"What is it daddy?" Averie laughed, knowing what he was talking about.

"Hmm, new dress?" He asked, squinting his eyes.

"Nooo silly" Averie laughed, placing her tiny hands on her dads cheeks.

"What is it then?" Lucas asked, lifting up his hands and shrugging his shoulders.

"My hair daddy! Mommy took me to get my hair cut!" Averie laughed, bending over and grabbing her stomach cause she was laughing so hard.

"Your right! Where did your long hair go?" Lucas asked, staring at his little girl that looked all grown up with her new short haircut.

"All gone" She giggled.

"Well…I love it" Lucas smiled, picking up the little girl and standing up.

"Ready to go Ave?" Brooke asked the little girl.

-----

**.::Five years and three months ago::.**

Brooke Davis had just moved to New York from the only place she had ever lived. Tree Hill, North Carolina. Sure, most people have never heard of it, but it was home. It was the type of small town where everyone was like a big family and everyone in the town knew your business by church on Sunday. She loved her small town, but she had to admit that she was looking forward to the big city life. She thrived off of adventure, attention, and meeting new people, and she couldn't wait to do just that.

"So is this it?" Brooke's best friend Haley asked as their taxi pulled up in front of a large building. Haley's face was pretty much pressed up against the glass window of the cab, her hands on either side of her face as she took in all the New York sights.

"Yeah, this is it" Brooke smiled, "My new home."

"How am I _ever_ going to live without you?" Haley asked, bringing a hand up to her face for dramatic effects as she climbed out of the cab, waiting for Brooke to meet her on the sidewalk.

"Well, you have Nathan, you're always with him anyways" Brooke laughed, as Haley dramatically threw her arms around her, making it very difficult to walk.

"But I am gonna miss you" Haley pouted, arms still wrapped around Brooke.

"Ma'am? Would you like help with your bags?" the cab driver asked as he started pulling them out of the trunk.

"No thanks" Brooke smiled, wiggling out of Haley's arms and handing the cab driver some money. "Come on Hale's, grab a bag tootchie." Brooke winked, grabbing a suitcase with each hand, leaving Haley with a large duffel bag and another suitcase.

"I thought your parents got movers to bring your stuff down here?" Haley asked, slinging the heavy duffel bags long strap over her shoulder and grasping onto the suitcase.

"Well they did, but they couldn't pack up the essentials. The mover's left two days ago…I would've died" Brooke said, turning to give Haley a 'duh' face.

"Riiight" Haley mumbled, eyeing the three suitcases and one duffel bag. "Essentials." She said, eyeing the three suitcases and large duffel bag. She rolled her eyes before hurrying to catch up to her friend.

Brooke and Haley made their way to the door of the building where the doorman, Jesse, took Brooke's bags, loading them onto a cart. "Hello again" He said, smiling at Brooke. "Penthouse 25-H? Correct?"

"That's the one" Brooke grinned, handing him a 20 dollar bill. "Thanks Jesse."

Brooke and Haley walked to the elevator, pressing floor 25 when they got inside.

"So…this place is _huge_" Haley said, wide-eyed. "I can't believe you are actually gonna live here" she gasped, running her hands against the smooth mahogany elevator wall before taking a seat on the small sofa that was placed against the back wall.

"I know right?" Brooke smiled, "But that's what I get for dating a big time basketball star." Brooke said, rolling her eyes.

Haley laughed, covering her mouth with her hands.

The elevator dinged and they walked out, turning to the left and reading '25-H' on a panel next to the door.

"Here we are" Brooke sighed, before putting her key into the doorknob and opening it.

"Whoa" Haley gasped, walking into the gorgeous penthouse.

Brooke set her purse on the counter and followed Haley into the house.

"Where's Kade anyways?" Haley asked, walking into the living room and plopping down on the large, overly stuffed sofa.

"God only knows" Brooke sighed, flipping on lightswitches, even though the light from outside was lighting up the house already.

"I still don't get why you're moving here Brooke" Haley said, as Brooke took a seat next to her on the couch.

"Me and Kade have come to far to just give up, ya know" Brooke sighed, picking at her fingernails.

"Yeah, I guess so" Haley said, looking at her friend who was not about to make eye contact with her.

"The distance has just been hard on us, on him. He thinks we can work everything out if I live here, so I might as well try" Brooke said, sounding unsure of herself.

"Yeah, you'll feel better if you try" Haley smiled, placing an arm around Brooke's shoulder and pulling her into a side hug.

"Can you just stay with me?" Brooke begged, poking out her bottom lip and giving her the biggest puppy dog eyes she could make.

"Don't do that!" Haley said, waving her finger around Brooke's pouted lips and big eyes. "You know that no one can say no to that face!"

"I know" Brooke smiled, poking Haley in the side, making her jump. "I really wish you would stay though, I mean, things with Kade are just weird right now and it would be nice to have you here to help break the ice ya know."

"Yeah…" Haley said. She was worried about her friend. She knew that Brooke had not been happy with Kade for awhile now, but he was such a nice, amazing guy that was totally in love with Brooke. Everyone wanted them to be together, since they were in high school people said they would get married. Haley thought that's what put so much pressure on Brooke. Everyone else. She just hoped that Brooke could work through her feelings.

"Humph" Brooke groaned, slumping farther into the couch. "It'll probably be better when he gets home, after I see him. I haven't seen him for awhile…"

"Exactly" Haley smiled, knowing that Brooke was probably just making her excuses for her sudden lack of feelings.

"What do ya say we order a movie on pay-per-view?" Brooke asked, her smile growing wider as she grabbed the remote from the coffee table. Haley smiled, nodding her head and rubbing her hands together.

----

"Baby? You here?" Kade asked, opening the door and walking into their penthouse.

Brooke's head shot up, she looked down and Haley was still asleep on the couch.

"Kade!" Brooke grinned, jumping up from the couch and running into her boyfriends arms. He wrapped his large, muscular arms around her tiny frame, picking her up and swinging her around in a circle. "I've missed you…"

"I've missed you too" Kade smiled, setting Brooke back down on he ground before capturing her lips with his.

"Mmm" Brooke moaned into the kiss before separating.

"I'm so glad you are here" Kade smiled, lacing his fingers with Brookes.

"Me too" She grinned, standing up on her tippy toes to give him another kiss.

Kade was everything any girl would want in a boyfriend. He was tall (6 foot 4 inches, to be exact), he had dark brown eyes, short dark brown hair, and tan skin. His face wasn't hard to look at either. He was gorgeous. Yes, gorgeous. But besides the looks, he was actually a nice guy. He opened doors, always paid, was respectful and responsible. He was mostly all the time there for Brooke when she needed him, he would usually do anything to make her happy. Growing up in a small town had done Kade good, he learned all of the small town values there are. And more than anything, he loved Brooke.

"So, where is Haley?" Kade asked, snaking his arms around Brooke's small waist, and leaning down to rest his forehead against hers.

"She fell asleep…we ordered a movie on pay-per-view" Brooke grinned, rolling back and forth from her toes to her heels. He loved it when she did that, she was just so cute.

"Oh you did did you?" Kade smiled, dipping his head down and pecking Brooke on her lips. "So…I was thinking, I'll take you girls out to dinner tonight, maybe we could go for a walk in Central Park…hang out for awhile before Haley goes home tomorrow." Kade smiled, tracing small circles on the small of Brooke's back. "Unless you two wanted to have a girls night, I'd totally understand."

And Brooke knew he was telling the truth, he was understanding most of the time, just another perfect quality to add to the list. "I think your plan sounds great" Brooke grinned, standing on her tip toes to kiss him once more, he pulled her closer to him and she smiled into the kiss.

"Geez you two" Haley squealed, her head popping up from behind the couch. "You're already at it like bunnies and we just got here!" Haley said, covering her eyes.

"I missed you too, Hales" Kade laughed, as Brooke turned around giggling at Haley.

"Oh Kadey-BooBoo!" Haley said in baby talk, getting off the couch and walking over to Brooke and Kade. She reached her hands up, pinching his cheeks. "I did miss you, don't you worry your pretty little face!"

"You know I hate it when you call me that" Kade laughed, rubbing his cheeks where Haley had been pinching them. "Why didn't Nate come?"

"He wanted to, but the Raven's were having some big game that he had to be there for, ya know, coaching responsibilities and all…" Haley said, rolling her eyes.

"That's great for him" Kade smiled genuinely, wrapping an arm around Brooke's waist again. "Well Hale's, I'm taking you two out for a night on the town so you guys should go get ready."

"Ooohh fun! I've never been out on the town in New York" Haley grinned, clapping her hands together.

Brooke was happy she was there, right? It was the right choice, wasn't it? I mean, she didn't know why she wouldn't be. Even though they had their problems, and Kade wasn't as perfect as everyone thought, she had to at least try. She promised him she would try. But why did it feel so weird being with him?

* * *

**A/N: What did you think? Let me know in a review, that would be greatly appreciated! The first part was just a glimpse into the future...I won't be flashing to it or anything though. The story starts with Brooke moving to New York and will be leading up to the first part...So we can find out what happened between Brooke, Kade, Lucas...and if Brucas are together still after having a baby together...Anyways! I'm excited to get this started, it's been a long time coming! Reviews are love! XOXOXOX Lindsay**


	2. Feeling A Moment

**A/N: Thank you for the great response to the first chapter! I promise it will be getting better and better, especially in the next coming chapters :) okay, so to clarify...Kade is Brooke's boyfriend, he grew up in Tree Hill and is friends with everyone there. Him and Brooke dated mostly through High School and then he went to New York after HS to play basketball and go to school there. Brooke moved up there to be with them to try and save what was left of their relationship. Lucas did not grow up in Tree Hill, but he will be introduced in this chapter...if you have any questions ask. And a HUGE HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed! Enjoy...**_

* * *

_

_I got a lot to say to you_

_Yeah, I got a lot to say_

_I noticed your eyes are always glued to me_

_Keeping them here_

_And it makes no sense at all..._

**Chapter Two- Feeling A Moment**

Brooke had been in New York for a whole week now. Haley left the day after they arrived, and since then all she felt was bored and ignored. Turns out Kade just wasn't as attentive to her here. He was busy most of the time, and Brooke didn't really have much to do. She never thought she would get bored of shopping, but somehow she did.

Everyone in New York seemed so rushed and busy. Everyone but her at least. A lot of the time she found herself down in the lobby talking to Jesse. She thought about just giving up on this whole thing and going home, but she wanted to prove to everyone that she could make it out here. She figured she might as well enroll in a class or something.

She had really been trying with Kade. She really had. But for some reason it just seemed like their spark ran out. It didn't help that he was hardly ever home. She began to wonder why she even moved here for him. She wasn't even sure if she loved him anymore. It was almost like being around him was wearing her out.

----

Brooke had a very uneventful morning, lounging around and attempting to clean the spotless penthouse. Her phone started to ring and she crossed her fingers hoping that it was Haley calling her back She really missed seeing her best friend every day.

She jumped off of the couch, pretty much running to her phone that was on the kitchen counter. When she picked it up she actually found herself frowning as she watched 'Kade' flash across the screen. That wasn't good to frown when your boyfriend called was it?

She answered it anyway, "Hey" she said unenthusiastically into the phone.

_"Hey Babe, what are you doing?" Kade asked, his normal content voice._

"Oh, nothing" Brooke sighed, resting her elbows on the counter and holding her head up with her free hand.

_"Well, I have something fun for us to do tonight" Kade said happily into the phone._

"You do!" Brooke smiled, perking up just at the thought of actually doing something fun.

_"Yeah, we have this basketball charity banquet thing, and you get to come with me. it's a dinner thing, you have to dress up" Kade told Brooke._

"Sounds fun. What time should I be ready?" Brooke asked, excited for a chance to actually get dressed up.

_"Be ready by 6" Kade said, "I'll see you tonight, love you…"_

"Okay, you too" Brooke said, quickly hanging up the phone and running to her massive closet to find something to wear.

----

Nothing really exciting ever happened in Lucas Scott's life. He had a normal childhood, although his dad was pretty much a pushy-asshole. Other than that, a normal childhood. He went through school, excelling in English and getting decent grades, okay, getting really good grades. He played basketball in High School, and it was his passion. It helped that he was the star of the team. He went to college, played college basketball, then got drafted to play in the NBA.

Even his marriage wasn't exciting. The fact that he didn't want to get married in the first place kind of, well, sucked. His publicist said it would be best for his career, it would show his family side, people liked that. He got extra points if he could have a few kids as soon as possible as well.

He married Peyton Sawyer. He hadn't even known her that long. She was a tall, gangly girl with way too tight blonde curls. She seemed nice when his publicist set them up on their first date. But as soon as they got married, her true self popped out. He was pretty sure she was a gold-digger, Kanye West had her down to an art in his song.

Peyton was an artist, and by using Lucas' somewhat celebrity, she was planning on opening her own art museum. Something small, with just her pieces of course.

The good thing about Peyton was that she was hardly ever home. He figured she didn't like him just as much as he didn't like her. Their marriage was just kind of convenient. But the more he thought about it, it wasn't convenient for him, but for his publicist. It was very convenient for Peyton though, she loved to spend his money, and by using his name, she got her and her friends into all the hot parties.

Lucas had come home to their apartment on his lunch break looking for his wife. She of course wasn't there. He decided to leave her a note about the banquet tonight. He knew that Todd, his publicist, would kill him if she wasn't there.

'Peyton' he scrawled onto a scrap of paper. 'Don't forget. Banquet tonight. 6 pm. -Lucas'

He placed the paper on the fridge, securing it with a magnet and he left.

-----

Lucas wasn't too excited for the basketball banquet. He never looked forward to things like this. The first reason was that he had to wear a tie, and he hated wearing ties. These functions always seemed really stuffy and boring too. He couldn't wait for it to just be over.

He was sitting at a small table with a few of the guys from his team. He couldn't even concentrate on what they were talking about. Peyton was supposed to meet him there, but of course she was late. He was worn out from their little act they had to constantly put on in public. If he was lucky, maybe she just wouldn't come.

He watched the door, waiting for his wife. He saw one of the guys from his team, Kade, come in. Kade had been talking about his girlfriend that was going to be moving in with him for a couple months now, but it looked like he didn't bring her. Looks like they were both flying solo tonight.

"Hey Luke" Kade said, walking towards Lucas and pounding their fists together.

"Hey Kade" Lucas smiled. "Where's your girlfriend?"

Lucas kept an eye on the door while talking to Kade.

"I was running late so I sent a car to go get her, she should be here soon" Kade nodded, "Where's Peyton?"

"Who knows" Lucas shrugged, sipping from his wine glass.

"Well I better go find the coach, let him know I'm here" Kade sighed, scooting his chair out and standing up from the table before walking a way. Lucas just nodded, his attention still focused on the door.

That's when he saw her. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Beautiful yet sexy. She walked in the room like she owned the place, throwing her head back as she laughed with the man that took her coat. She had dark brown hair, flowing down over her bare shoulders in waves. Her eyes sparkled and her skin was flawless. She had an amazing smile and dimples that went on for days. She was wearing a tight fitting red strapless dress. She was holding onto a small black clutch and was wearing black pumps. As she walked into the large room it felt like time had stood still. Lucas couldn't help but stare at her. He had never seen her at one of their basketball functions before, and he was wondering what she was doing here. He watched her walk, her hips swaying from side to side, until he lost her in the crowd. His spirits were lifted when he saw her, but they went back down once he lost sight of her.

A few minutes later, right before dinner was served, Peyton showed up. Late of course. She mainly hung around two of her friends but now she was sitting down with Lucas. She held his hand and smiled at him, stealing a few kisses from him every once in awhile. It was wearing Lucas out.

------

Brooke felt out of place here, but she wasn't going to show it. She walked around the large room looking for Kade but she couldn't seem to find him. After wandering around for awhile she finally ran into him and he greeted her with a kiss.

"You look amazing" He told her, holding each of her hands in his as he stood back and admired her.

"Thanks" She grinned, "You don't look so bad yourself" She winked at him, falling into his arms.

He kissed the top of her head, "Come on, I want to introduce you to a few people before dinner starts" He smiled, slinking one arm around her waist, slightly guiding her through the crowded room.

Brooke smiled and shook everyone's hands that she met. She was excited to be out in public, meeting new people. Everyone seemed to like her, one guy seemed to hang on every word she said, he was practically drooling all over himself while staring at her.

"Lucas" Kade called to someone across the room, "Come over here, I want you to meet someone…"

Brooke watched as a blonde guy sitting at a table with his back turned to them, turned around at the sound of Kade's voice. He turned back around, saying something to the curly headed blonde that was sitting next to him then they both stood up walking towards Kade and Brooke.

Brooke couldn't help but notice the guys tie, it wasn't very tight against his neck, you could tell he had been tugging on it. The next thing that she noticed were his eyes. She pretty much got lost into the big blue orbs. This guy was hott, there was no denying that. Brooke then turned her attention to the blonde who was walking over to them along with the hottie. She looked angry, keeping her distance from the guy. She could be pretty, if she did something with that mess of hair, Brooke figured.

----

As Lucas and Peyton approached Kade, his eyes fell on the girl that Kade had his arm wrapped around. It was her, the girl that he noticed earlier. This was Kade's girlfriend? No wonder he raved about her so much. Lucas couldn't help but sigh at his bad luck.

"Hey Lucas, Peyton…this is Brooke" Kade smiled, motioning towards them, "And Brooke, this is my friend Lucas, he's on the team with me, and this is his wife Peyton."

"Its nice to meet you" Brooke smiled, shaking Lucas' hand. When she went to shake Peyton's hand the girl just nodded at her, not smiling, not even offering to shake Brooke's hand that was held out in front of her. She didn't even say anything. What a bitch.

"Its nice to meet you too," Lucas smiled. Brooke couldn't help but stare at his smile. "We've heard so much about you."

"I hope all good?" Brooke giggled nervously. There was just something about this guy…

----

They finished dinner and Brooke was sitting at a small table with Kade and two of his friends. This was the part of the night Brooke hated. The guys were consumed into a heated talk about some rival team and how big of an ass one of the players were. Brooke boredly twisted a strand of curled hair around her finger.

"Hey Kade" She whispered, tapping him on the shoulder and interrupting their conversation.

"Yeah babe?" He asked, holding a finger up to his friends as if to say hold on a second and he turned his attention to Brooke.

"I think I need some air. I'm gonna go outside" Brooke told him. Kade nodded and kissed her on the cheek.

Brooke got up and left the table, walking towards the large glass doors that led to a balcony. Brooke stepped out onto the large balcony, immediately wrapping her arms around herself, trying to shield herself from the cool night air. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. There was only one other person on the balcony, his arms resting on the ledge as he stared out into the night sky. It was the blonde from earlier. Lucas.

Brooke wasn't sure if she should say anything. They didn't really know each other and he seemed to be thinking. But he seemed like a cool guy and its not like she had anything to lose. She walked up to Lucas, standing next to him and leaning her back against the ledge, her arms still wrapped around herself.

"Hey" she said softly, her face turned towards Lucas.

He looked up at her and smiled. He was excited to see her, there was just something about her.

"Hi" he said to her, immediately noticing the goose bumps covering her arms. "Are you cold?" He asked, reaching an arm out and touching her bare arm. She looked at him, raising her eyebrows, "You're right, dumb question" he laughed, talking off his jacket and placing it on her soft delicate shoulders.

"Thank you" She smiled, "You are quite the gentleman" Brooke laughed.

"I try" He smiled, staring back out into the night. "So how are you liking New York so far?"

"Its…" Brooke said, chewing on her bottom lip, "Good." She decided on, nodding her head, "Yeah, good."

"You don't sound so sure" Lucas told her, squinting his eyes.

"Well, its just different. I really miss my friends…" Brooke trailed off, looking away from his face and down at her hands.

"Yeah, I bet." Lucas sighed. "But you moved her to be with Kade, that's worth it right?"

"Ehh," Brooke let out, before even realizing it. What was she doing! This was one of Kade's friends. "I mean, yeah, of course." She said quickly.

"Uh-huh" Lucas smiled, making Brooke's cheeks blush. "Where is he anyways?"

"Does it matter?" Brooke asked, rolling her eyes. What was it with everyone being so supportive of her and Kade. Even this guy she didn't even know expected her to be with him every second.

"Whoa, alright then" Lucas smiled, holding up his hands as if to backtrack what he was saying.

"Where's your _wife_?" Brooke shot back at him.

"God only knows" Lucas grumbled. He hated it extra when people used 'wife'.

"No offense, but she seems like a bitch" Brooke laughed, realizing she was probably sticking her foot in her mouth.

"Yeah, tell me about it" Lucas laughed.

Just then, a man walked out with a tray of wine glasses, offering a glass to the both of them. Lucas took two glasses, one for himself and one for Brooke. He told the man thank you and the guy went back into the party.

"Enough about that" Brooke grinned, taking a sip of her wine.

Brooke and Lucas continued to talk about everything. Everything from movies, to books (not Brooke's favorite subject), to life in general.

Brooke set her empty wine glass down on the ground and wrapped her arms around her body. It was starting to get windy, and was getting a little cold. Brooke started out into the dark, night sky and tried to count the stars in the sky. Lucas set his glass down, next to hers and watched her. He saw her shiver and brought his hand up to his arm, running it along her arm.

Brooke looked over at him, liking the way his warm hand felt on her cold arm. She could've swarn she felt a spark when he touched her, but it could've been the wine talking.

"You cold?" he asked, his hand still touching her arm. She nodded and he slowly peeled his hand away. "Let's get you inside then" he smiled.

"Mmm" she nodded, smiling back at him as she started towards the door. He placed a hand on the small of her back, leading her through the doors.

Spark..._again_.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, the lyrics at the beginning of the chapter are by Paramore and the song is called Crushcrushcrush. I hope you liked this chapter, it will just keep getting better from here! Make sure and review, I have the next chapter written, so if you guys all review I will post it :)**


	3. BOY

**A/N: Thanks for everyone that reviewed, the feedback was awesome! I am happy about the response I am getting. Here is the next chapter...the song is called 'be be your love' and it is by Rachael Yamagata. Enjoy...**_

* * *

_

_Everythings falling, and I am included in that_

_Oh, how I try to be just okay_

_Yeah, but all I ever really wanted_

_Was a little piece of you_

**Chapter Three- B.O.Y.**

It had been exactly one week since the banquet and Brooke couldn't seem to stop thinking about Lucas. She had been drifting away from Kade, and then she had a great conversation with Lucas and she just wanted to see him again.

She couldn't stop thinking about the end of the night when he touched her, she swear she felt a spark…but it may have been the alcohol talking…

Kade was gone, doing whatever he did during the day…was it bad that she didn't know?…and Brooke just had to talk to Lucas. She knew that Kade had to have his number in here somewhere. She started shuffling around through the way to neat kitchen 'junk drawer' and she found a team roster with everyone's phone numbers, email addresses, everything.

Brooke grabbed her cell phone and punched in Lucas' number. She stared at the phone, what was she thinking? She had a boyfriend who she was supposedly _very _committed to. Well, it couldn't hurt to be friends with him right?

She called the number. It was actually ringing. It wasn't too late to hang up, she thought about it but she really couldn't bring herself to do it.

_"Hello?" Lucas said into the phone, obviously confused about the number he didn't know._

"Hey, Lucas. This is Brooke" She said, silence on the line…"Ya know, Kade…" She couldn't bring herself to say Kade's girlfriend, which she obviously was. It just didn't sound…right.

_"Brooke!" Lucas said into the phone, maybe a little too excitedly. "How are you?"_

"I'm good," Brooke said, nodding to herself. "You?"

_"Honestly" Lucas shot out, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you…"_

"Me too" Brooke half laughed, half sighed into the phone. "What are you doing? Are you busy? Maybe we should get together, I don't even know where Kade is…" Brooke said, talking maybe a little too fast and making herself sound a little too eager.

_"I just got out of an interview, and Kade is doing some press things with our coach and manager, he should be gone all day…" Lucas trailed off._

"Well, then you should um, come over here" Brooke told him, smiling into the phone. Was she actually letting herself get all giddy over this? She was almost positive she had butterflies flying around in her stomach right now.

_"Yeah, I guess I could" Lucas said. He was happy, obviously. But he still felt like he had some sort of loyalty to Kade._

"See you soon?" She asked.

_"Soon" He told her, before they both hung up the phone._

Brooke immediately went into her call log, deleting Lucas' number from the list.

----

"It's actually been pretty boring here" Brooke said into the phone that hung on the wall, twirling the black cord around her fingers. "I miss you."

_"I miss you too Brookie" Haley told her._

"You should come visit me" Brooke said, resting her elbows on the kitchen counter, one hand placed under her chin, the other holding up the phone. She smiled softly at the suggestion of Haley coming.

_"I wish I could, but things are crazy here" Haley said, sounding flustered. "Are you ok Brooke? You sound, uh, a little, off?"_

"Yeah I'm fine" Brooke told her, nodding her head and noting to herself to stay in check. She was really excited to see Lucas, but nervous too. She really wanted to tell Haley about him, but how would it sound? And it's not like anything was going on between them anyways…

_"I don't know..." Haley said, sounding unsure._

"Really Hale's" Brooke said, a sigh escaping her mouth. Just then she heard a knock on the door. "Hey, I'm gonna have to call you later, I gotta go."

_"Brooke-" Haley said, before Brooke placed the phone back on its receiver, hanging up on her friend._

She walked past a mirror in the hall, stopping in front of it to examine herself. She flattened her straight brown hair, and smudged her glossy lips, smacking them together. She ran a hand down her shirt, and tugged on her skirt, straightening it out. She leaned back on the heel's off her wedge shoes before resting her toes back onto the ground. Here goes nothing.

He knocked again, bringing her out of her thoughts. She walked towards the door slowly. While resting a hand on the door knob, she stood on her tippy-toes and looked out the peephole. She saw a head of blonde hair and slowly turned the door handle, opening the door.

"Hey" Lucas smiled, running a hand through his hair while staring at Brooke. "You look…uh…amazing."

Brooke smiled, her hand trailing to her black halter top and pulling at the bottom of it. "Thanks" She said, stepping aside as Lucas walked into the apartment. She followed him into the living room, not taking her eyes off him once. Before he reached the couches, he turned around and stopped, staring directly into her eyes. She started to bite on her bottom lip. He was definitely looking good today.

He seemed to stare at her forever. And look that he was giving her was driving her wild.

"Brooke" Lucas started, "I-"

With that she took a step forward, linking a finger through one of his belt loops. She stood up on her toes, placing the other hand on his chest and bringing her mouth to his ear. "Don't. Talk." She commanded, her voice raspy and her breath hot on his ear. She pulled her head back, so that she could look at him again, a wry smile forming on her lips.

Her hand was hot on his chest, and she pulled him closer to her by his belt loop. His hands immediately found her hips and before they knew it they were kissing.

Lucas held Brooke against him tightly as she ran her hands all over his chest. She kissed him long, hard and fast. She started to push him back towards the couch and that's when he came up for air.

"Brooke" he said, breathing heavily and trying to catch his breath. She smiled up at him, her chest rising and falling quickly with her shallowed breathing. "What…are we doing?" he asked, his breathing still not even.

"Kissing" she responded with a smile and a wink before bringing her mouth back up to his.

Lucas' hands became tangled in her hair as they kissed. Brooke's fingers made their way under his shirt, feeling his hot skin before they found their way to the button on his pants. She worked her fingers on the button and the zipper, trying to undo them while not losing contact with Lucas' lips.

"Wait" Lucas said into her lips. She pulled back, her face flushed and hair messy. She looked up at him. "I don't think we should do this" he told her, breathing heavily, one of his hands still stroking the back of her neck.

"And why is that?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"This is wrong" he said looking around, "We're in _his _apartment…"

"It feels right" Brooke told him. He thought about this for half a second before his lips were on hers once more, making her giggle against his lips.

-----

"I don't love him" Brooke said, her back leaning against Lucas' chest. He had arms wrapped around her his fingers resting against hers. She played with his fingers as she rested her head back underneath his chin. "I don't want you to think I do." She explained, "I've never done this before…" her voice becoming quiet.

"Me either" He told her, rubbing her thumbs with his fingers. "I know its wrong, it should be wrong…but it doesn't feel wrong."

Brooke nodded her head and closed her eyes. "What do we do?"

"I don't know" he told her, as she turned around so that she could look at him. "I'm not going to lie, I wanna be with you Brooke." She nodded. "But I'm married, and you're with Kade. Maybe this shouldn't have happened."

Brooke sighed, chewing on her lip. She brought one of her hands up, twirling her hair around a finger. "We could've went farther…" She said, shrugging her shoulders. "At least we didn't go farther…" She brought her hand back down to her side. "Maybe you should just go." She told him, looking away.

Lucas stared at her as she looked over to the wall. "I guess your right" he said, as he stood up, holding out a hand to her. She grabbed his hand and he pulled her into a standing position as well.

She walked with him to the front door, checking the clock on her way. It was almost six, Kade should be home soon.

"I'll talk to you soon?" She asked.

He opened his arms, pulling her into a hug. "Yeah." He opened the door, stepping out of it. "I'm sorry about this Brooke…"

"Don't be sorry," She said, holding the door open with one hand. "We just got caught up in the moment" she said, sending a smile his way. "Bye Luke." He smiled at her once more, shoving his hands into his pockets. He lifted a hand out and gave her a wave before she closed the door and leaning against it.

-----

Brooke woke up the next morning on the couch. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked down to see the she was still wearing her clothes from yesterday. She shook her head and stood up.

"Kade?" She called into the empty, quiet apartment. No answer. She walked around checking each room only to find them empty. She couldn't remember falling asleep, she was up waiting for Kade and was exhausted. She figured she would've woken up when he got home but he never did.

She walked towards the phone and called the lobby. The receptionist at the front desk answered.

"Do you know if Kade Roberts came in last night?"

The lady checked with the doorman to find out that no, Kade Roberts did not come home last night. Brooke told the lady thank you and hung up the phone, immediately calling Kade's cell phone.

No answer.

Brooke had no idea what was going on. Where was he? He didn't even call. It was so unlike Kade to just not come home and not call. She didn't know what to think.

Brooke decided that she should probably go take a shower and then try to call Kade again. She was standing in the bathroom, wearing her plaid pajama pants and blow drying her hair when she heard the front door open and close. She switched off the blow dryer and grabbed her brush, combing it through her hair as she walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where she found Kade.

"Where were you?" she asked, running the brush through her hair as she leaned against the wall.

"It was a long night" he said, opening the fridge and moving things around in it.

"So you can't call?" Brooke said, raising an eyebrow at him. She wasn't too happy. But then Lucas flashed in her mind and she realized she couldn't really be mad at him after what she did. Even if it didn't go past ultimate making out, it was still cheating.

"I _said_ it was a _long_ night" Kade said raising his voice as he looked over at her for the first time.

"Whatever" she said, turning around and walking back towards the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

She went into the bathroom and finished blow drying and straightening her hair. She walked into the closet, pulling out one of her favorite pairs of dark wash jeans and slipping them on. She pulled a tight fitting t-shirt off of a hanger and pulled it over her head, pulling at the bottom of the shirt but once she let go it was still showing a small sliver of her toned stomach.

She walked into the living room where Kade was sitting on the couch, his feet up, and watching TV.

"This is what I mean Kade" Brooke said, shaking her head and placing her hands on her hips. "You are so hot and cold. You can be the totally loving and doting boyfriend and then the next thing I know your are distant, not talking, and staying out all night. You wonder why I drift away from you…" She walked away, grabbing her black and tan Coach purse and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Are you leaving?" he asked, not bothering to respond to what she had said to him.

"Do you care?" She asked. She watched him and when he didn't answer her back she responded, "Didn't think so."

-----

She walked out onto the streets, not knowing where to go. She couldn't believe him, but really she shouldn't be surprised. Everyone always thinks that Kade is so perfect, but they would be surprised. Even Haley, her very best friend in the whole world, didn't know the real side of Kade. He had been like this ever since Brooke was dating him, all through High School. Its like he had a switch that turned him on and off. When it was turned on he was the perfect boyfriend and always wanting to be around Brooke. But when it was turned off he stopped caring all together. He would make himself unavailable to Brooke in every way and just do his own thing as if she wasn't a part of his life at all.

Eventually Brooke started making herself unavailable to him too. At first it broke her heart, the way he acted. But now, it was like there was nothing left there for him at all. She just couldn't handle it anymore.

She pulled her cell phone out of her bag and dialed the number that had been permanently placed in her head. She just hoped he answered the phone.

"Hey it's me" she said, once she heard him answer the phone. "Can you meet me somewhere?" She walked toward the curb, raising her arm to hail a cab. "See you there in ten." She smiled, closing her phone and placing it back in her purse.

-----

Brooke stepped into the small yet crowded coffee shop and searched the faces for Lucas. She spotted him against the wall towards the back of the shop, his arm waving above his head to catch her attention. She smiled and made her way towards him, moving in between people before she finally made it to the small table. She pulled out the chair across from him and sat down, placing her bag on the table.

"I got you a hot chocolate" he said, sliding a paper cup towards her, "Extra whipped cream" he said, smiling.

"Thanks" she told him, lifting the warm cup up to her lips and taking a small sip. "_How_ did you know I like extra whipped cream in my hot chocolate?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Lucky guess." He said, taking a drink from his own cup before smiling back at her. "What's going on Brooke, you seem upset."

"I just…" she said, fidgeting with the bracelet that hung from her wrist, "I just need someone to talk to, and I don't wanna make my best friend worry so I just thought-"

"You can talk to me Brooke" Lucas smiled softly, brushing her knee with his hand under the table so that no one would notice. Being a somewhat famous basketball star he was used to being noticed in public and he wanted to stay away from the tabloids. He did pretty good at making himself look like just the average guy, wearing a jeans and a baseball hat, but every once in a while his disguise didn't work and pictures were taken. Being careful was big. He looked around, no one had seemed to notice him, he looked back to Brooke. "Do you want to go somewhere and talk?"

Brooke nodded and they stood up. Brooke followed Lucas out of the small shop and onto the streets. She followed him around the corner to a small parking lot where a few cars were parked. He pulled keys out of his pocket and pushed a button, unlocking the doors to a black sports utility vehicle. "Over here" he told Brooke, mentioning to the car that was now lit up. She nodded and walked towards the car, they both climbed in once they got there.

"I thought New Yorkers just took cabs?" Brooke asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Most do," he said, keeping his hands on the steering wheel and his eyes on the road, sneaking looks at Brooke every once in a while. "They drive me crazy though, I try to drive myself when I can."

"I hate not having my car here" Brooke said, looking down at her hands where she ran her fingers across the silver charmed bracelet. "Where are we going?" She asked, looking up at him.

"My own secret hide-a-way" Lucas said, turning to her and giving her a sneaky smile.

"Ohh" she grinned, "I get it…secret hide-a-way. Does Peyton know about this little secret?"

Lucas was surprised to hear Brooke bring up his wife so suddenly. "No" he said, changing the channels on the radio. "She doesn't. Only I do…well and now you of course" he smiled. He looked over at her and saw her running her fingers across a charm on her bracelet. He had seen her doing this earlier as well. He reached over and grabbed the hand that was touching the charms on the bracelet. He held her hand for the rest of the drive, squeezing it every once in a while.

* * *

**A/N: Don't forget to go and review, tell me what you thought and I'll get the next chapter up :)**


	4. Carve Your Heart

**A/N: Alright everyone! Here is chapter 4! Thank you to _everyone_ who reviewed! The song is First Time by Lifehouse...**_

* * *

_

_We're both looking for something_

_We've been afraid to find_

_It's easier to be broken_

_It's easier to hide_

**Chapter Four- Carve Your Heart**

Brooke watched out the window as they entered a small neighborhood. The houses were small, but cute. It was quiet and seemed like the perfect place to raise a small family. Every once in a while they would drive past someone that was watering their lawn or kids riding their bikes. It was nice.

"Where are we?" Brooke asked, watching out the front window.

"Almost there" Lucas told her. He turned the car left once more and then turned right, driving up a long driveway with flowers planted on each side. The grass was green and the porch was big. The house looked like a lot of the others. It was small and white with navy blue shutters on each side of the windows. "We're here." Lucas said, looking over at Brooke and giving her a small smile before climbing out of the car. Brooke followed his lead up to the front door of the house.

He opened it up and they went in side. The house was really cute inside as well. It was country themed and homey. It wasn't very modern, and that's what Brooke liked about it. It reminded her of Haley's house back in Tree Hill. She always loved how at home she felt there compared to her huge, modern house.

"It's so cute" Brooke gasped as they walked into a small living room. There was a flowered couch and loveseat. A piano was resting against the wall and there wasn't even a TV in the room. Brooke walked over, sitting down on the couch.

"Thanks I guess" Lucas said, scrunching his face. He clapped his hands together, "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Waters fine" Brooke told him, resting her hands on her knees. Looking around the room Brooke noticed what seemed to be numerous family pictures. She stood up and walked over to a table, picking up a silver frame. There was a picture of a woman with brown curly hair, and what looked to be her husband. He was a taller guy with brown hair as well. He was holding onto a little girl, she looked to be about 5, and she was the spitting image of her mom.

"Here ya go" Lucas said, turning the corner and walking into the room with two glasses filled with water. "I see you've found my family" Lucas said, motioning to the picture that Brooke was holding. She looked up at him for a second before looking back to the picture. Lucas set the glasses of water down on the coffee table and walked over to Brooke, standing beside her. "That's my mom, Karen, and my step-dad, Keith" Lucas said, pointing to each person in the picture. "And that, is my little sister, Lily." Lucas said, grinning as he pointed to the little girl.

"She's beautiful" Brooke smiled, running a finger down the bottom of the frame. "Where are they?"

"They are traveling the word" Lucas told her, "Exciting huh?"

"Yeah sounds like it" Brooke said, resting the framed picture back on the table and then taking a seat on the couch again. Lucas came and sat by her this time.

"My mom always wanted to travel" Lucas explained, his eyes drifting towards the picture. "Then they had Lily right when I graduated. Needless to say she was a surprise." Lucas raised an eyebrow and Brooke laughed. "They waited till she got a little older then they took off so that they can be back in time for her to start kindergarten. They've been gone for a while now."

"I bet you miss them."

"Yeah, sometimes its hard. But this is what they've always wanted." Lucas told her. His hand found his way to hers. "This is their house…well it was. They were going to sell it, but I couldn't imagine my childhood home belonging to someone else so I bought it from them. I like to come here to think, or be by myself or when Peyton is just way to much to handle. It's become sort of a sanctuary."

"What about when they come back?" Brooke asked.

"I think they're going to move to Boston. My grandma lives there and she's getting old. I think my mom wants to spend time with her while she can."

"That makes sense." Brooke said, her eyes drifting off, staring down at her bracelet.

"Are you ready to talk?" Lucas asked after a few minutes of silence.

Brooke looked up at him, she was biting her lip again, and she nodded. "Yeah I think so." She said still nodding.

"Whenever you're ready" Lucas told her as he leaned back so that he was resting against the couch. He put an arm over Brooke's shoulder and pulled her back with him. She rested her head under his arm against his warm body.

"Kade is just being a jerk" Brooke started. "I mean he's just been like this for so long and I don't think I can handle it anymore."

"What's going on?"

"He didn't come home last night. And he's just being so weird. He won't even really talk to me and I'm sick of it." Brooke said, closing her eyes and resting against Lucas more.

"He's an ass Brooke" Lucas stated, running a hand through her hair. "He doesn't deserve you."

Brooke sat up, looking into his eyes. She slowly leaned forward, bringing her hands up to his face. She slowly brought her lips to his and began kissing him. He immediately brought his hands down to her hips, shifting her until she was straddling his lap. The slow kissing eventually progressed, and even though they both knew they should stop, they knew that they wouldn't be able to.

-----

"Its so pretty here" Brooke said, looking out across the backyard of Lucas' home. They had green green grass that seemed to stretch out forever. There was a small slide and swing set, and a basketball court off to one side. The sun was starting to set and the oranges, pinks, and purples that it was casting out in the horizon was breathtaking. They were on the porch, laying in a hammock together. Brooke was curled up against Lucas' body and he had his arms wrapped tightly around hers.

"That's the country side for ya" Lucas smiled, staring down at Brooke as he pulled her closer to him, if that was even possible.

"Can we just stay here forever?" Brooke asked, a dreamy expression in her voice.

"I wish we could" Lucas said, leaning down and kissing the top of her head.

"How about just for a night" Brooke suggested hopefully.

"I think we could arrange that…"

-----

"Lucas!" Brooke called from the bedroom. "I think they're here…I'm changing, answer the door!"

"Coming" Lucas yelled towards the door as he jogged towards it. He opened the door, accepting the bags of Chinese food that they had delivered. He thanked the man and paid him, kicking the door shut with his foot.

A few minutes later they were both sitting on the floor in the TV room. They were sitting across from each other with all the small cartons of food in between them.

"Lucas!" Brooke laughed, "Its seriously not that hard."

"Can't I just use a fork?" Lucas whined.

"Nooo" Brooke giggled. "We're using chopsticks…just hold them like this" Brooke told him, she held up her hand to show him how to hold the chopsticks.

"Okay" Lucas said, staring from her hand to his own. He was really trying to concentrate, he wanted to get this right. "I think I got it" Lucas said, looking up at Brooke. Suddenly one of the chopsticks flung out of his hand, flying behind him and hitting the curtains.

Brooke stared at him for a few seconds before she burst into laughter. "Oh my god" She cried out through her laughs. "That has got to be the funniest thing I've ever seen!" Brooke said, holding onto her stomach because she was laughing so hard.

"Can I use a fork now?" Lucas asked, shaking his head while Brooke kept laughing. Brooke nodded and Lucas got up to go find a fork.

-----

"So there are extra blankets and pillows in there, and the remote to the TV is on the nightstand. If you want to open the window then go for it, but sometimes it sticks" Lucas told Brooke as he showed her around the guest room. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Hmm" Brooke said, looking around the flowered room. "Do you have an extra pair of sweats I could sleep in?"

"Oh, yeah" Lucas said, turning around and leaving the room. He entered the room a minute later with a pair of black sweats and a grey hoodie. "Here ya go." Brooke took the sweats from him and thanked him. "Remember I'm right down the hall if you need me…"

"Thanks for everything Luke" Brooke said, smiling up at him. Hanging out with him all day made Brooke realize what a great guy he actually was. She had so much fun with him and they got along so well. She just had to pretend this was her life, even if it only got her through the night.

"Anytime Brooke" Lucas smiled. Brooke crossed the room, placing a hand on Lucas' arm. She stood up on her tip toes and kissed his cheek.

"Night Luke."

"Goodnight Brooke."

Lucas left the bedroom, closing the door but leaving it open enough for a little sliver of light from the hallway to shine through. Brooke changed into Lucas' clothes, they still smelled like him, and she climbed into bed pulling the large comforter up to her neck.

-----

_Looking at you, holding my breath_

_For once in my life, I'm scared to death_

_I'm taking a chance letting you inside_

-----

Lucas couldn't sleep. All he could think about was Brooke. Every once in awhile Kade or Peyton would enter his mind, but he would make himself forget about them, his thoughts drifting back to Brooke again. He heard creaking in the hallway and when he sat up in bed, he saw his door slowly open, revealing a very tired, messy haired, Brooke.

"I couldn't sleep" she said, biting her bottom lip and staring at Lucas. "Did I wake you?"

"No, no" Lucas said, patting the bed next to him. "I couldn't sleep either."

Brooke walked towards the bed, and started to laugh, "Lucas, this is a twin bed."

"Yeah, I said this was my childhood home" Lucas said, widening his eyes and stifling out a small laugh. "Come on…" He said, laying on his side to give her room to crawl in next to him. He lifted up the blankets with one hand and before Brooke climbed into bed all she saw was boxers and skin. He pulled her towards him immediately finding her lips with his. After they had been making out for awhile Brooke sat up, reaching for the hem of Lucas' sweatshirt that she was wearing.

"I want to" Brooke told him with a smile before he could ask if she was sure. She threw the sweatshirt to the ground, and next the sweatpants before molding her body against his once more.

-----

Brooke woke up, cramped up against Lucas in his small bed. She pulled the sheet up around her and sat up, rubbing her eyes with one hand.

"Hey" Lucas said placing a hand on her bare back, waking up when he felt Brooke move.

"Hey you" she said back in her raspy morning voice as she looked over her shoulder at him. He sat up and kissed her. "Mmm." she moaned, closing her eyes as they separated.

Lucas wrapped his arms around her waist on top of the blanket. He looked over towards the clock and pulled Brooke back down onto the bed with him. "It's only 8."

"You're just worn out from last night" Brooke said winking at him. He laughed, burying his head into her neck and closing his eyes. "Lucas" Brooke said, nudging him when she thought he was falling asleep again.

"Hmm" he responded, not even attempting to lift his head.

"Do you realize we had sex in the bed you grew up in" she said, trying not to laugh.

"I think we broke all the records last night…"

"So you've never done that before in this bed with anyone?" She asked, a little surprise coming out in her voice.

"Uh, no." Lucas said, looking over at her. "My parents' room is next door."

"So?" Brooke giggled, "Makes it more exciting…you know, the chance of getting caught."

"So that's what this is about" Lucas said in a joking tone, "The thrill of getting caught."

"No" Brooke giggled.

"Come here!" Lucas said, rolling her over so that he was laying on top of her, Brooke giggled, surrendering to the boy once more.

-----

Brooke and Lucas didn't talk very much on their ride back to the busy city. Every once in a while Lucas would reach over and squeeze Brooke's hand and she would smile slightly. Brooke decided it would be best if Lucas dropped her off a block away from the penthouse and she would just walk back. They didn't kiss when she got out of the car, only promised to talk soon.

Brooke walked down the street, her bag slung over her shoulder and her head held high, as usual. She had a confidence about her that anyone would notice. She always looked straight ahead, her shoulders a perfect square. Her heels clacked against the cracked pavement as she walked, her hips swaying smoothly to each side. She ran a hand through her hair as she turned into her building, Jesse opening the door for her.

"Good morning Brooke" he smiled as she walked inside the building, "Or should I say good afternoon?"

"Hey Jesse" Brooke smiled, a slight laugh playing off her glossed lips.

She walked towards the elevator, entering it and going up. When she reached the penthouse she stuck her key in the lock, taking a deep breath as she slowly turned it. She opened the door to a seemingly quiet house. She walked in, setting her keys in the bowl by the door and her purse on top of the countertop. She didn't hear anything, so she figured that Kade must have been gone.

She kicked her shoes off and walked into the bathroom, pulling open a drawer. She grabbed a black elastic and pulled her hair up messily into a pony tail, securing it there with the elastic. She unbuttoned her jeans, shimmying out of them and left them on the floor. She walked towards the bedroom wearing only her panties and t-shirt and went straight for her closet.

"So nice of you to come home." she heard Kade say smugly from behind her. She hadn't even noticed him laying across the bed when she came in the room. She grabbed some grey Victoria Secret sweats from a shelf and pulled them on before walking out of the closet to face Kade.

"Why'd you get dressed?" he asked, a sly smile playing across his lips.

"Are you kidding me?" She laughed, shaking her head. He was unbelievable sometimes.

Brooke turned, walking away from the bedroom and to the door. Kade quickly got off of the bed, jogging slightly to meet Brooke before she reached the door of the bedroom. He slid his arms around her waist from behind, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Lets just forget about everything" he told her, his hands slowly slipping under her t-shirt. "I missed you…"

"God Kade!" Brooke said, swatting his hands off of her and storming out of the bedroom and into the living room. "We can't just forget everything all the time!" Kade followed her into the living room, and she ran a hand through her hair. "You are just so frustrating, I seriously am sick of it!"

"Let me get this straight, you don't come home last night and I'm frustrating?" He said raising his voice, "Where were you Brooke?" He asked, stepping in front of her.

She crossed her arms over her chest, "that doesn't matter" she said, shaking her head, her expression turning cold.

"What, were you out _fucking_ some guy?" Kade said, his voice growing louder each time he spoke.

"Yeah, cause you know _all_ about that don't you Kade!" Brooke shot back, the volume of her voice meeting his.

"Brooke, that was one time" he said, lowering his voice and reaching out to touch her arm which she immediately pulled back from. "It was right when I got out here, I was lonely and you were mad at me. It was _one_ time."

"You wonder why I can't trust you…" Brooke said, shaking her head and walking away from him. "You've been acting weird lately…distant. Then you don't come home, don't call, what the hell am I supposed to think?"

"Brooke, I'm sorry" Kade said, walking towards her again. "I promise it'll change, we'll work harder, _I'll_ work harder."

"You _always_ say that" Brooke said, her voice barely above a whisper. Brooke walked away from him and back into the bedroom. She slammed the door behind her and when he reached the door he heard the lock click.

-----

Brooke took a shower, doing anything she could just to not think. She didn't want to think anymore. Not about Kade and their messed up relationship, not about how sexy Lucas is and the way she felt the muscles popped out of his back when he was on top of her, not about anything.

Kade called through the door, saying that he had to go to practice and he wasn't sure when he'd be home. She probably wouldn't have believed him, but Lucas had told her earlier that they did have practice that day.

Brooke was laying on the bed, wearing a huge pair of sweats and an even bigger sweatshirt. Her hair was piled on top of her head messily, and she was surrounded by huge, fluffy pillows.

She picked up her cell phone, staring at the screen. She went into her message inbox for what seemed like the millionth time in the last hour. She opened the first message and read it again.

**Can't stop thinking about you.**

She read it over and over, before exiting out of the screen and dialing the number she knew best.

"Hey buddy" she said, leaning back into the pillows.

_"Tigger!" Haley exclaimed into the phone. She jumped up, knocking a lamp over._

Brooke laughed, hearing the crash, "Did you just break something?"

_"Uh…" Haley said, checking on the damage, she put the lamp back upright, "Nope, were safe!" Haley giggled, returning to her spot on the couch._

"How's Tree Hill?" Brooke asked, missing the town she lived in and loved.

_"Oh you know" Haley shrugged, "It's never the same without you!" Haley said, covering her heart with her hand and mocking sadness and longing in her voice._

"Mmm" Brooke sighed.

_"How's your life? Amazing?" Haley said. "Kade called me yesterday, he invited me to come visit. Isn't he just the best?"_

"Ha" Brooke said, rolling her eyes at Haley's comment. "That's what you think."

_"God Brooke, your such a brat" Haley said shaking her head. "Kade is perfect, you know it, I know it, we all know it, but you just can't ever be happy."_

"Stop mothering me" Brooke said, letting a small laugh escape her lips. Haley was always like this, she could be overbearing at times, but Brooke knew she meant well. "You just don't understand" Brooke sighed. Brooke had never told her about her and Kade's rocky relationship, she just didn't want to worry her friend. She thought it would be best to let everyone believe that they were perfect, but now when she needed her best friend the most she wished she would have made a different choice.

_"Well then help me understand Brookie" Haley sighed into the phone, her worried voice becoming present. "You sound sad."_

"I just don't know if I can try with him anymore" Brooke sighed. "I mean I know that's what I came here to do, but he's just not as perfect as you and everyone else thinks he is."

_"Hmm" Haley sighed. "I'm sorry Tig."_

"I know." Brooke moaned into the phone, leaning back and closing her eyes tightly.

_"I have a feeling you aren't telling me everything B."_

Brooke remained silent. It wasn't her fault that Haley could read her like a book. She wished she could tell Haley everything, but she just couldn't. it was too much. "I just don't know."

_"Maybe you should come home for a while. Think things through a little bit" Haley suggesting, shrugging her shoulders._

"Maybe" Brooke said. Her other line started to beep, and she looked at the screen. It was Lucas. "Hales, I gotta go. But I'll call you later K? Love you."

_"Love you too. And be **happy** missy." Haley told her before hanging up the phone._

* * *

**A/N: I hope everyone liked it! Make sure and review and tell me what you thought! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, I really appreciate it! I want to give a shout out to Katherine, your reviews are amazing and I always look forward to reading them, thank you for always reviewing, you are awesome! Do you want to hear a secret? I have all the way up to Chapter 11 written, and I'm working on Chapter 12 right now...yup! So all you have to do is review and I'll update :) **


	5. Nobody's Fault But Mine

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, have I told you how amazing you are? I decided I would update because a.) your reviews were amazing and b.) I just finished chapter 13 :) I am like on a roll, I just love this story and can't stop writing! Anyways, I introduce a new character in this chapter, I figured Brooke needs a friend in NewYork. Her name is Chae, and it's pronounced Shay. Enjoy!!

* * *

**

_I should've turned back _

_I should've known better_

_Than to walk away defeated_

**Chapter Five- Nobody's Fault But Mine**

Brooke was standing in line in Starbucks and the line was huge. It was taking her forever to get through the line, and she was just glad that she was wearing her comfortable, worn in, strappy, black Jimmy Choo pumps. She straightened her flowling red top for what seemed like the millionth time and pulled her phone out of the pocket of her dark wash skinny jeans. She checked the time, again. It had only been 3 minutes since the last time she checked and she could've sworn she hadn't moved at all. The girl in front of her had been talking animatedly on her cell phone the whole time, and Brooke couldn't help but listen in on her conversation. From the sounds of it, she got kicked out of her house, and she didn't care…no wait, she was mad about it…no, she thinks its funny. Brooke was officially confused. She placed her hands at her waist and tapped her heeled toe impatiently.

Finally it was the girl in front of hers turn. And go figure she couldn't make up her mind. It took her **five **whole minutes to order! And yes, Brooke had been timing her.

"Can I help you?" the barista behind the counter asked, swiping a piece of hair out of her eyes. She looked tired and worn out. Brooke felt bad for her.

"Yeah, can I get a grande caramel latte" Brooke told the lady, "and that's all."

"Sure that'll be right out to you" the young girl told Brooke.

"Keep the change" Brooke smiled, handing the girl a ten dollar bill as she took her drink. As Brooke was walking to a table she felt someone bump into her.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry!" Brooke heard a girl say, she looked up seeing it was the girl that had been standing in front of her in line. "I can be such a klutz sometimes."

"Oh, its really no problem" Brooke smiled, pulling out a chair and sitting at a table.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" the girl asked, looking around the crowded room and not finding a table.

"No, its fine." Brooke said, "I just moved here and I don't really know anyone."

"Well we can change that!" The girl grinned, flipping her long, shiny, straight, dark brown hair behind her shoulders. "I'm Chae."

"I'm Brooke."

"When did you move here?" Chae asked, sipping on her drink before fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist.

Chae was around the same height as Brooke with them both wearing heels. She had the prettiest long hair Brooke had ever seen, not many people could pull it off that well. Her skin was tan and her voice reminded Brooke of a stuck up girl from California. Not saying she was stuck up or anything. Brooke noticed her great taste in shoes and clothes and admired her Coach purse.

"Almost a month ago" Brooke told her, "I lived in Tree Hill, North Carolina. You've probably never heard of it, it's a pretty small town."

"Hmm" Chae sighed, "I don't think I have heard of it. How come you moved here? Small town get ya down?"

"Actually I loved it there, but my err" Brooke said, stalling, "Boyfriend lives here. So I moved here to I guess be with him."

"Oh I see. I'm from California, I've lived her for a few months and I love it!" Chae exclaimed, smiling with her straight and very white teeth. "There are great clubs and so many _hott_ guys. Me and my boyfriend just broke up so I'm loving the single life."

"To be honest, I miss it" Brooke said. "Being single, I mean."

"Well, you have to come out with me. I don't know very many girls here, I've really only met guys. I have two roommates that are girls, but they are kind of weird" Chae said, scrunching her face.

"How weird is weird?" Brooke asked, letting out a small laugh.

"One of them…" Chae said, her voice growing more quiet, "her name is Lauren, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't wear deodorant. And she doesn't believe in shaving! Like she grows wheatgrass in our window and is always making these weird smelly drinks with it!"

"Oh my god" Brooke laughed, "That is disgusting."

"And then the other girl, Kayla, eats all of my food. And like she has her own. It just is really annoying!" Chae told Brooke, shaking her head. "I wish I would've met you sooner cause then we could've been roommates!"

"Seriously!" Brooke agreed with a laugh. She could tell that her and Chae would become good friends fast. "I can't wait to meet your roommates!"

Brooke and Chae talked about everything as they finished their drinks. They decided to go shopping, Chae had found some really cute vintage shops the day before and wanted to show them to Brooke.

Chae linked her arm through Brookes as they walked down the crowded New York streets. Her and Haley used to always link their arms together when they walked, and it made Brooke miss her best friend. But she was pretty excited she made a new friend in this lonely town.

-----

After shopping all afternoon Brooke and Chae decided to get take out from a small Mexican food place and go back to Chae's apartment.

Her apartment was really cute. The living room was painted a light brown color and they had really cute red couches. Chae's room was decorated in black, red, and white. The furniture was all black, with touches of red and white throughout the room. Brooke loved it, and couldn't help but wish she had the chance to share an apartment with friends.

They decided to sit on the floor in the living room and eat their food.

"So where are your roommates?" Brooke asked, taking a bite of her food.

Chae swallowed, and then took a drink of her giant diet coke. "Working. I'm sure they'll be home soon though, its about that time." She said, rolling her eyes. "But anyways, stop changing the subject, finish telling me about Kade."

Brooke had felt comfortable with Chae and ended up telling her pretty much anything. It was so much easier telling someone the truth about Kade that didn't know him and think he's perfect. "But yeah, he's just such a jerk. Like everyone thinks he's perfect and amazing, but they don't see the side of him that I see. I just can't handle it anymore."

"I don't blame you" Chae sighed, "He sounds like an ass to me!"

"Yeah, he pretty much is." Brooke rolled her eyes.

They had finished eating and were sitting on Chae's bed talking. Brooke had found out that Chae had been kicked out of her house in California so she moved here. She got a job at a record label doing some kind of reception work, but she only worked part time. Her grandparents still sent her money, kind of like Brooke's parents did, and that money was what she lived off. She just worked to have something to do. Brooke also found out that Chae's longtime boyfriend, Tyler, had broken up with her because she didn't want to get married. She had been sad about it at first but then realized that if he wouldn't wait for her, then he wasn't worth it. She had gone out on a lot of dates since she moved here, and she hardly ever thought about Tyler anymore.

"Okay, so you have to tell me about Lucas now!" Chae said excitedly, rubbing her hands together. Brooke had mentioned him while they were shopping and Chae couldn't wait to hear the scoop.

"Well, he's really hott, and nice and he just…I don't know. There's just something about him and I like can't help myself when I'm around him" Brooke grinned, her face turning a light shade of pink. Brooke told her a little bit more about Lucas, and it made her feel better actually talking to someone about it.

"Please tell me you hooked up" Chae laughed. She had put on some square black frames after taking out her contacts, put her hair in a messy ponytail and threw on some sweats. Brooke followed suit, borrowing some of Chae's sweats.

"Well…" Brooke started, looking away from Chae.

"Oh my god Brooke!" Chae laughed, throwing a hand up to her mouth, "You totally did!"

Brooke nodded and they both started laughing. Brooke's phone rang, disrupting their laughter and she jumped off of the bed to get it.

"Ooo" Chae called, "I bet that's lover boy right now!"

Brooke finally fished her phone out of her purse and looked at the screen. "It's Kade" Brooke told her. Chae frowned as Brooke answered the phone. "Hello."

_"Hey" Kade said calmly. "Are you still mad?"_

"No." Brooke replied quickly with no emotion in her voice what so ever. She walked back over to the bed, climbing on it and folding her legs under her, sitting across from Chae who was intently listening.

_"Well where are you then?" Kade asked, "You're coming home tonight right? I made us dinner."_

"I'm at a friends and I already ate" Brooke told him.

_"What friend?" Kade asked, confused. "Why don't you come home so we can kiss and make up."_

"I'm not in the mood for that Kade." Brooke said flatly.

_"Brooke Davis is _**not** _in the mood?" Kade asked, feigning shock._

"You can't just be an ass to me and then expect sex" Brooke huffed.

_"Brooke-"_

"I'll be home later" she said, cutting him off and hanging up the phone.

"You shouldn't even go home" Chae said, shaking her head. "You should call _Lucas_" Chae said, grinning at Brooke.

"The thing is, I can't even be mad at Kade for being a jerk, because I'm worse" Brooke sighed, putting her head in her hands. "I'm cheating on him…"

"Brooke" Chae said, scooting over and putting an arm around her. "He treats you like crap, and from what it sounds like he's been doing it for years. He walks all over you, and is emotionally abusive. That's not okay. And he still has that perfect, good guy image. You don't even love him…"

"I know, but I came here to try and make it work one last time. And what do I do, go an cheat on him!" Brooke said, looking back up. "I at least need to try."

"Whatever you think is best. But I say _dump_ Kade and _jump_ Luke" Chae giggled, making Brooke laugh too.

-----

Brooke decided she should probably go home, so she left Chae's, promising to call her tomorrow. She decided that she wasn't going to even talk to Lucas until she gave it a good try with Kade. She just had to put her feelings for Lucas aside, she had been with Kade for too long to give it all up for a guy she hardly knew. And a _married_ guy at that.

Brooke walked into the penthouse, noticing light and noise coming from the TV in the bedroom. She set down her purse and her jeans since she was still wearing Chae's pajamas and she walked into the bedroom where Kade was laying awake on the bed.

"Hey" he said, looking up at her as she stood leaning against the doorway.

"Hi" she said quietly. She slowly started to walk towards the bed.

"I'm sorry Brooke" Kade said, as she climbed onto the bed next to him.

She pulled at the hem of his shirt, slowly inching it up to reveal his toned body. "I know" she said quietly, lifting the shirt until it was off of him.

"I just-"

Brooke put a finger to his mouth silencing him. She replaced her finger with her lips, kissing him softly. "Just don't screw up. This is your last chance I swear."

"I won't" he said, before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her on top of him, his lips crashing onto hers with more force this time.

They pulled at each others clothes with force, trying to get them off as fast as they could. Once they were no longer a barrier, Kade laid her on the bed, climbing on top of her.

-----

Brooke was laying in bed awake, Kade had fallen asleep long ago. After they had sex all she could think about was Lucas. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help it. Kade wasn't gentle with her, and he didn't care about her needs. The sex was rough and rushed, and only pleasurable for Kade. But with Lucas, he took his time, making sure she was getting everything she needed as well as what he needed. Then afterwards Kade just rolled over, his back to her, whispering goodnight before he fell asleep. But Lucas, he held her in his arms that whole night. Talking and whispering to her for hours. She shook the thoughts out of her head and tried to fall asleep.

-----

Brooke woke up the next morning alone. She got out of bed, pulling on some clothes and walked out into the living room. In the kitchen she found a note from Kade saying that he had gone to the gym and then had some errands to run. She threw the note in the trash, and toasted a bagel.

After she ate, she called Chae and told her that she should come over and hang out. Chae didn't have to work so she came right over. She was totally impressed by Kade's penthouse and told Brooke that she 'now understood why she wouldn't dump this guy.'

The girls had been just hanging out and talking when Brooke's phone beeped. Brooke grabbed it off of the table and saw that she had a text message from Lucas.

**I **_**need **_**to see you.**

Brooke stared at the message for a few minutes.

"What's going on?" Chae asked, growing impatient with Brookes silence. "Who is it?"

Brooke shook her head, clicking reply.

**We can't see each other anymore. I'm working things out with Kade. Sorry.**

She sent the message, and surprisingly she didn't get a response.

-----

The next couple of weeks were going surprisingly well and Brooke couldn't help but be happy. Lucas had kept trying to call her and text her and she was doing really well not talking to him or meeting up with him. She had to keep herself busy so that she didn't think about it. She had been hanging out with Chae a lot, they had become fast friends and were pretty much inseparable. Brooke made sure to talk to Haley extra, because she could tell that her best friend was getting jealous of Brooke's new friend. Kade made sure to be home by six every night so that him and Brooke could spend time together.

Brooke was sitting at home, waiting for Kade. She decided to make him dinner tonight and it was going smoothly. Chae had went shopping with her and they got all the ingredients for Kade's grandmothers homemade recipe for Alf redo sauce.

Brooke was watching the sauce boil slightly, stirring it every once in a while. She had the fettuccini noodles boiling in a large pot and some vegetables steaming. She grilled some chicken to put into the pasta and had garlic bread warming in the oven. She couldn't help but be proud of herself. Her phone started to ring and she rushed to the coffee table to answer it.

"Hello?" she answered, not looking at the screen.

_"Brooke" Lucas said, "Just talk to me."_

"Lucas" Brooke sighed, "I told you already. I need to try to work things out with him. Its just not fair."

_"You don't even love him" Lucas told her, "I miss hanging out with you. I thought we were getting along, I thought we were having fun together…"_

"You're married." Brooke gasped. Her heart started beating quicker and she was finding it hard to breath. Her heart wanted to see Lucas, to talk to him, have him hold her, and make love to him. But her head was telling her that it was wrong.

_"That doesn't matter" Lucas shrugged, "She'll never know and its not like I'm hurting her. I'm sure she fucks random guys all the time. I just need to see you Brooke."_

"I can't" Brooke choked out, saying it while she still had the strength. She hung up the phone before he could respond and then she deleted his number from her call log.

She went back to her dinner, stirring the creamy sauce. It was almost done and Kade should be home soon.

Kade got home and was pleasantly surprised to see what Brooke had made. They ate dinner together at the table, Kade opened a bottle of red wine and Brooke lit two candles. She had changed into a tight fitting, short black dress, and their dinner together was romantic.

"Thanks for tonight" Kade said, tracing small circles against Brookes arm as he held her against him on the couch after dinner.

"Your welcome" she said, turning her head up and smiling at him. He leaned down kissing her. She brought a hand up to his face while they kissed. She pulled away from him smiling. "Thanks for being so great the last couple weeks."

"No matter what you may think, I don't want to lose you Brooke" Kade said, leaning down to kiss her again.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, don't kill me :) The song was 'Good Day' by Angels & Airwaves! Uhhmm if you want things to eventually get better with Brucas, review so that I can update :)**


	6. Can't Turn Away

**A/N: Alright, thank you everyone for the reviews. Here is the next chapter, the song is called 'It Had To Be You' and is by Motion City Soundtrack. Enjoy!**_

* * *

_

_What if it was you, you that I needed all along?_

_I felt like a fool, thinking that we were completely wrong._

**Chapter Six- Can't Turn Away**

Brooke had done a good job keeping herself occupied. It had been exactly three weeks since she had slept with Lucas in his childhood home. Was it bad that she was actually counting the days since she had last been with him? She tried to keep him off of her mind as much as she could, it was only fair. Kade had kept her pretty busy and when she wasn't with him she was usually with Chae. But she still couldn't get a certain blonde haired, blue eyed boy out of her mind. He had texted her and called her more than a few times since she broke it off with him, and it was getting harder and harder to stay away from him.

"Brooke" Kade called, snapping Brooke out of her thoughts.

"In the bathroom" she yelled back, screwing the top back on her tube of mascara. She threw the small bottle back into her makeup back and searched around for her bronzer.

Kade walked in the bathroom, stepping behind her and putting an arm around her waist. "What are you up to today?"

"Me and Chae are going to lunch" Brooke said, smiling at him in the mirror. She rocked back and forth from the heels of her feet to her toes as she grinned.

"Fun" was all that he said in not the happiest of toes. Kade had met Chae a few days after Brooke did. He seemed to like her okay, but he thought that she was trouble. Mainly because she liked to party and date random guys. It seemed like _all _of her friends were guys, and he didn't want _Brooke _hanging out with _all _those guys.

"Yeah" Brooke smiled, her dimples in full show. She held her bronzer in one hand and her huge make up brush in the other. She applied the bronzer expertly, across her cheekbones, and down the bridge of her nose. "I'm excited. We're gonna try out this new little Italian place she heard about."

"Very neat." Kade said, stepping around her and sitting on the toilet seat. "I forgot to mention this, but the coach is throwing a small get together at his house tonight for the team, and I was hoping you'd be able to come."

"Yeah, of course" Brooke nodded. She felt a knot form in her stomach, knowing that Lucas would most likely be there.

"Good" Kade smiled, standing up and kissing Brooke lightly on the cheek. "I think Kyle might ask Chae to go."

"That would be fun" Brooke nodded. Kyle was one of the guys on Kade's team. Kade and Brooke had introduced Chae to Kyle, and they had went out on one date. Kyle was totally crushing on Chae, most guys did, and she liked him too, but she's just all about having fun without commitments.

"Well, I better get going" Kade said, walking out of the room. "See you later."

And with that he was gone. Brooke furrowed her eyebrows. He didn't even give her a chance to say goodbye, kiss her or tell her he loved her. She figured it wasn't anything to dwell on and she continued putting on her makeup.

-----

"So Kyle called me today" Chae said raising an eyebrow, her and Brooke were sitting together at lunch sipping on their waters as they waited for their meals to come.

"Kade told me that he was going to." Brooke said, setting her glass back on the table. "Please tell me you are going with him tonight, cause I have to go and Luke is gonna be there and this is the first time that I'm gonna see him since you know what, and I really need you to be there!" Brooke said, talking quickly while she moved her hands all around.

"Brooke chill" Chae laughed, holding a hand out in front of her to calm Brooke down. "I told him I'd go. But you totally owe me cause I could've went to a new club opening tonight with that guy that has a really sexy Irish accent…" Chae said, poking out her bottom lip.

Brooke laughed, "You're so dramatic!"

-----

Brooke and Chae both went to their own homes to get ready for the night. Brooke was in her closet frustrated with what to wear. She decided to take a break and call Haley.

"Hey buddy" Brooke grinned into the phone when she heard Haley say hello.

_"Oh my god! Is it really you?" Haley said, feigning shock in her voice making Brooke laugh. "Brooke…Brooke Davis??"_

"It's me it's me" Brooke laughed. "How are you best friend? I seriously miss you."

_"I miss you too. I'm good, but really its boring here without you." Haley groaned into the phone. "So what have you been up to? How's New York life treating you?"_

"Well, its okay, but it sucks living here without my bestest friend in the whole wide world!" Brooke laughed, Haley scoffing on the other end. "We're going to some get together thing at the Coaches house tonight. I'm kind of nervous."

_"You have no reason to be nervous" Haley said, letting out a small chuckle. "But really, when are you coming back to visit?"_

"I don't know Hales. But soon I promise." Brooke sighed into the phone. She walked back into the closet, fingering through the clothes on the hanger. "I better go get ready, but call me tomorrow?"

_"Pinky swear" Haley said. "Have fun Brooke. Love ya."_

"Love you too Haley." Brooke said, flipping her phone shut.

Brooke decided to wear a short colorful patterned dress that she had borrowed from Chae. It happened to fit her perfectly, accentuating what curves she did have. The neck of the dress dipped down just low enough, but not too low. She pulled on a pair of red heels and touched up her makeup. Her hair was curled in big waves, and she pulled it back into a loose ponytail, revealing her smooth shoulders. She put on some gold dangly earrings and was ready to go.

-----

When Brooke and Kade pulled up to his coach's house, the first thing she noticed was the size of it. It was huge! Even bigger than her house in Tree Hill. It was out of control. It kind of reminded her of a cabin. There were tons of windows all over the front of the house, and they were all lit up. The power bill alone had to cost a small fortune.

Kade and Brooke climbed out of the car and he immediately laced his fingers with hers. They walked into the house, Brooke immediately looking for Chae, she hoped she was there already. It seemed like there were people everywhere, and the large room was loud with talking. Kade got them both a glass of Champaign and they walked into the beautifully landscaped backyard where tables were set up. They spotted Chae and Kyle at a table and took a seat next to them.

"I better go say hi to the coach, you wanna come?" Kade asked, standing up from the table.

"No, I'll just wait here" Brooke said, smiling softly and sipping on her glass.

"Alright, don't you go anywhere" Kade grinned, leaning down and pecking her cheek.

Kade had only been gone for a few minutes when Brooke spotted Lucas across the lawn. She couldn't help staring at him, his hair was messy, poking up in different places. He was standing with a group of guys, and then she saw Peyton, tight curly blonde locks as usual, come up next to him. He looked over at Peyton as she approached, and that's when he spotted Brooke as well.

Brooke hurried and dipped her head down, so that she wasn't looking at him anymore.

"Brooke!" Chae said, waving a hand around in front of Brooke's face. "You aren't even listening!"

"Sorry" Brooke mumbled, bringing her glass back up to her lips. She looked up again, and saw Lucas walking over to their table. "Shit." Brooke said under her breath, looking back into her glass.

"Huh?" Chae said, scrunching up her face. She then looked up seeing a very good looking blonde approaching. The guy smiled at Brooke deviously, and that's when it clicked for her. It was Lucas…_Brooke's _Lucas. Chae smiled, this was about to get interesting.

"Hey Luke" Kyle said, pounding fists with the blonde as he approached.

"Kyle" Lucas nodded, looking towards Brooke. "It's Brooke right?" Lucas said, squinting his eyes and looking directly at Brooke. Her eyes grew big, she didn't know what to do, she couldn't believe he just acted like he didn't even remember her. Chae brought a hand up to her mouth trying to stifle her giggles.

"Yeah man, that's Brooke, Kade's girlfriend, I think you met her before?" Kyle said smiling, he then looked over at Chae, pointing to her "And this is Chae."

"Nice to meet you" Chae smiled, still trying not to laugh while Brooke tried her best to hide her face.

"You too" Lucas said, still staring directly at Brooke. Kyle though, was oblivious to everything going on around him.

Brooke brought her glass to her lips, drinking all of the liquid that was left in her glass, which was a lot and then she put the glass back on the table. "Excuse me" she said, scooting her chair out. She looked at Chae who happened to be winking at her, and stood "I'm gonna go to the bathroom."

She quickly walked away from the table and back towards the house.

"I better go find Peyton" Lucas said, his eyes following Brooke, and with that he left the table, heading into the house.

Chae couldn't help but laugh. "What?" Kyle said, looking over at her confused.

-----

Brooke found the nearest bathroom and went inside, shutting the door behind her and leaning up against it. She brought a hand up to her head, and closed her eyes, sighing loudly. She didn't understand why he couldn't just leave her alone! It was hard enough on her as it was.

She walked towards the huge vanity along one wall in the bathroom. She hadn't noticed how large the room was until now. There was a gorgeous gold lined mirror on the wall and even the sink was amazing. She checked her appearance in the mirror, and swept her bangs out of her eyes.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

She heard coming from the door.

"Brooke, open the door" Lucas said from the other end. She could tell by the sound of his voice that he was smiling. She leaned against the countertop deciding to be quiet until he left. "I'm not leaving till you open the door, I can stay out here _all _night." He said into the door eliciting a small laugh.

"Ugh" Brooke groaned, walking towards the door and opening it. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him, because she did. She just didn't want to be left alone with him, she knew she wouldn't be able to control herself.

He slipped in the small crack of the door that she had opened, a sly smile playing on his lips. He closed the door behind him, turning the lock.

"You have to stop ignoring me" he told her, as he walked closer. Brooke caught her breath in her throat and licked her lips. When he was right in front of her, their bodies almost touching, he leaned down, his lips by her ears, "Did you miss me as much as I missed you?" He whispered.

She felt his hot breath against her ear, and his body being so close to hers was making her shake. She dropped her head back, closing her eyes.

"I thought so" he said against her ear before moving his head back up so he was facing her. She brought her head back up as well so that she was staring in his ocean eyes.

She bit on her bottom lip, their eyes never losing contact. Before she knew it, she had brought her hands up to his face and she forced her lips onto his. She kissed him with all of the pent up emotions she had been feeling the last three weeks. The last three weeks since she had been with him, since he had touched her. Lucas responded quickly, one of his hands on her back, the other behind her head in her hair, pulling her head closer to him. He kissed her hard before taking his mouth to her neck where he sucked and bit, causing Brooke to moan, her hands traveling all over his back. She brought her hands back to his face, pulling his lips to hers once again. She kissed him fast and hard until they both needed to breathe.

She pulled her head away from his, resting it against his chest. They were both breathing heavily, trying to catch up on their breath.

"Oh, god, Brooke I need you" Lucas told her, his breath still deep and heavy. He ran his hands down to the hem of her short dress.

"Not now" she told him, reaching her hands down to his and grabbing them away from her dress. Lucas groaned. "They'll wonder where we are…"

"It doesn't matter" Lucas shot out, squeezing her hands tightly.

"It does Luke" Brooke told him. She let go of one of his hands and brought her finger up, tracing his lips. "Tomorrow…" she promised, "now go."

He nodded, leaning down, and kissing her once more, softer this time. He unlocked the bathroom door, shutting it behind him and slipping out into the crowd.

Brooke breathed heavily before turning around and looking at herself in the mirror. Her face was flushed and her lips were swollen. She looked around the bathroom, noticing that she left her bag, with her extra makeup, on the table outside. She didn't know what she was going to do. She couldn't go back out there looking like this. She took the elastic out of her messed up ponytail and ran her fingers through the thick curls before expertly putting the elastic back in. She swept her bangs out of her eyes to the side of her face once more.

"Brooke" she heard someone whisper into the door. "Open up, its me."

She opened the door, peeking out and saw Chae, smiling at her from the other side. "Thank god!" Brooke sighed, opening the door wider so Chae could slip in. "How did you know I was in here?"

"Well" Chae said, the smile on her face growing bigger, "I just saw Lucas leave the bathroom looking like he almost just had sex, so I figured you'd be in here. I saw you left your purse and I _knew _you were gonna need some help cleaning up."

"You are a lifesaver" Brooke sighed as Chae pulled some bronzer out of her own bag and began applying it to Brooke's very flushed face.

"We have to hurry though, Kade has been asking about you." Chae said, putting her bronzer back in her bag after finishing applying it on Brooke.

"What did you say?" Brooke asked, glancing at the mirror noticing that she was starting to look normal, and then she looked back to Chae.

"That you were feeling sick" Chae said with a wink, pulling a tube of lip gloss out of her purse. "Purse your lips," Chae commanded, and Brooke did what she said. "You 'borrowed' my plumping lip gloss, that's why your lips are freaking huge. Got it?" Chae told her as she applied some gloss onto Brooke's lips.

"Thanks again Chae-bay" Brooke said, giving her a relieved look after checking her expression in the mirror. She started to walk to the door when Chae grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back.

"How was it?" Chae asked, wiggling her eyebrows. "Did you guys have a quickie?"

"No!" Brooke said loudly, "We just sorta made-out. Believe me he wanted to though…"

"I'm sure he did" Chae laughed, "I'm not gonna lie, he looked as happy as a little boy who just found his lost puppy. So I'm guessing it was good?"

Brooke raised her eyebrows and nodded quickly, emphasizing it with a smile. Chae giggled and Brooke opened the door, both of them walking out into the crowd. They found Kade and Kyle what looked like a very large living room sitting on a huge olive green couch.

"There you are" Kade smiled, grabbing Brooke's hands when she got close enough and pulling her down onto his lap. Chae sat down next to Kyle and he started to whisper something in her ear, making her laugh. "How are you feeling?" Kade asked, wrapping his arms around Brooke's body.

"Better" Brooke said, giving him a small smile. "A lot better."

"Good" he said, content with her answer. When he went to kiss her, she turned her head making his kiss land on her cheek.

"I don't want you to get sick" she shrugged, giving him a reassuring pat on the back. He nodded dejectedly and smoothed her hair.

"Ready to go?" he asked. When she nodded, he told Kyle that they were going to leave and Kyle and Chae followed them out of the house.

Brooke was quiet the whole way home. They decided to all share a cab, and Kade sat in the front. Chae was sitting in between Brooke and Kyle and kept giggling at whatever Kyle was telling her. She would then look over at Brooke and roll her eyes. Obviously she wasn't liking Kyle as much as he thought or as much as she was acting like she did. Brooke just tried to ignore them and stared out the window.

She kept replaying her and Lucas' time in the bathroom. She remembered the way he felt against her body. The way his breath felt against her ear. And how good it felt to finally kiss him again. She thought she could stay away from him, she really did. But after tonight, she didn't know what to think…

* * *

**A/N: Alright, tell me what you thought. Thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed. Review again and I'll update :) Oh and I need to give a shout out to Katherine, thank you _so_ much for your review, it was really needed and made me feel lots better, so thank you :)**


	7. Tangled

**A/N: Okay, so how much do you love me for updating TWICE in ONE day?? Thank you for your amazing reviews, they made me so happy that I decided to update again haha. Ohh and we hit over 100 reviews, how amazing is that? The song is Let Me Go by 3 Doors Down. Enjoy!**_

* * *

_

_One more kiss could be the best thing_

_But one more lie could be the worst_

**Chapter Seven- Tangled**

The next morning Brooke woke up late, and Kade had already left. She decided to get on the internet and book a plane ticket to go home on her dad's credit card. She had already talked to Kade, telling him that she was planning to go home for a week so all that was left to do was book the flight. Her flight left at 12:15 p.m. tomorrow. She was so excited to get away from this crazy city. She definitely needed time away to think. Time away from Kade, and Lucas. This whole torn between two lovers thing was becoming a little too much to handle.

After booking her ticket she took a shower. She took her time, letting the hot water run over her for what seemed like hours. By the time she was done she had pretty much turned the bathroom into a real life steam room. But hey, it was good for her pores. When she got out of the shower she wrapped a big, fluffy white towel around her and used her hand to un-fog the mirror. She held onto the towel with one hand and pulled her wet hair up into a messy bun with the other hand.

She changed into some comfortable clothes and retrieved her phone off of the bedside table so that she could call Haley and tell her she was coming home. When she flipped her phone open she saw that she had a missed call from Chae, Kade, and Haley. She also had a text message. When she opened it, she saw it was from Lucas.

**You & me. My childhood bedroom. Tonight. 8 p.m. Can't wait.**

Brooke deleted the message and shut her phone, smiling as she replayed the message over and over again in her head. She had promised Lucas, and honestly she wanted to see him more than she had ever wanted anything. There was just a small problem. Kade. She could tell him that she was staying over with Chae, having a girl's night. But since she was leaving for Tree Hill tomorrow, she knew that he would want her to spend her last night with him. She was just going to have to tell him that she was leaving today.

She dialed Haley's phone number, waiting for the answer.

_"Hey Tigger" Haley said happily into the phone, her normal bubbly self._

"Tutor Girl" Brooke giggled into the phone. "Want me to tell you a secret?"

_"I _love _secrets" Haley grinned from the other end of the phone._

"I know you do" Brooke laughed, her smile growing and dimples showing.

_"Tell me!" Haley whined._

"Well, first I need to know if you are busy tomorrow night?"

_"I don't think so why?" Haley asked, the question making her forget about the secret she had been so excited about._

"Because I need you to pick me up from the airport" Brooke said nonchalantly.

_"Are you serious!" Haley asked, her voice __rising__ as she jumped up from where she had been sitting._

"Serious as a heart attack" Brooke laughed.

_"I'm so excited!"_

"Me too buddy" Brooke smiled, "Me too."

_"Well, I hate to cut this short, but I really gotta go. Nathan's waiting" Haley sighed. "But I'm really excited, and I'll see you tomorrow!"_

Brooke and Haley hung up the phone, and now Brooke had to do what she was dreading. Call Kade and tell him. She had a feeling he wouldn't be as excited as Haley was. Right when she was about to call him, she heard the front door open. She jumped off of the bed and ran out of the room, to see Kade setting down a plastic sack on the table.

"Hey" he smiled, opening his arms and moving them, signaling for Brooke to hug him. She walked towards him and into his embrace. "How are you?" He asked, kissing her on the forehead.

"I'm good" she smiled, "What are you doing?"

"I decided to come home for lunch, then I have a whole night of practicing, I probably won't be home till 7, the coach is going heavy on us before the season starts." Kade explained, pulling what looked to be two sandwiches, two small bags of chips, and two cups of fruit out of the bag.

"Mmm" Brooke nodded her head in reply. Brooke sat down at the table, in front of where Kade had put her food. He went to the fridge, pulling out two bottled waters, handing one to her and keeping one for himself as he sat down.

They both started to eat, neither one of them talking.

"You're being quiet" Kade observed.

Brooke looked up at him, shrugging her shoulders before taking another bite of her sandwich. She usually was constantly talking or making some sort of noise, she hated quiet.

"What's going on?" Kade asked, running a finger down her arm.

She looked up at him, figuring now was probably the best time to tell him. "Well, you know how we talked about me going home for a week sometime soon?" Kade nodded. "Well I booked a flight today."

"That's good, when are you going?" Kade asked, setting his sandwich down and taking a big drink from his bottle.

Brooke gulped, "tonight."

Kade's eyes opened wider. "This is a joke right?"

"I told you I was going to" she said quietly, looking down at her food that she had hardly touched.

"God Brooke" Kade groaned, shaking his head. He had that look on his face, the mad 'I can't believe you' look. Brooke _hated _that look. "You couldn't even tell me. All you ever do is think about yourself" he said raising his voice. He stood up from the table and practically threw the chair back under it. "Have you ever even thought of thinking about _other _people? Or is that just too much for perfect little Brooke."

Brooke rolled her eyes, she couldn't believe he was being such a baby. "Are you serious?"

"Its _all_ about you Brooke, _all_ the time" Kade said, still shaking his head, a condescending laugh playing off his tongue.

"Okay" Brooke said, standing up and raising her voice to meet the level of his. "Because I was definitely thinking only about _myself _when I packed up my whole life and moved here for _you_. Oh and I was also only thinking of _myself _when I took you back after _your _whiney ass cheated on _me_. Annnd I'm only thinking of _myself_, once again, while I sit here day after day alone waiting around for _you _to maybe _want _me like you used to. I'm so god damned selfish aren't I?" Brooke had been waving her finger around in his face, and she now placed both hands on her hips. She was _not _in the mood for this.

"Here we go again" Kade said, throwing his hands into the air in defeat. "If you are _so _unhappy then why are you here? You act like I ruined your life by asking you to come here. It was _your _choice too Brooke, don't put it all on me." Kade said, shaking his finger and head back and forth. "Don't act like you are all alone here either, not when you are out running around with Chae _all _the time."

"You know what" Brooke said, putting a hand up to her head. "I'm done talking about this. Maybe it is good that I'm going home because obviously we both have a lot to think about when it comes to us." She turned out of the kitchen and started walking towards the bedroom.

"Brooke" Kade called, but she ignored him. She walked into the bedroom, slamming the door shut, signaling the end of their conversation.

She heard Kade leave and sighed a breath of relief. Sometimes she couldn't believe what an ass he was. Sometimes he could be so great, and then he could be a jerk. For a while, the great times always made the bad times seem not so bad. But after a while that feeling wears off. Brooke was worn out now, its like the good times they had just weren't worth it anymore.

She pulled her biggest suitcase off of a shelf and set it on the floor in the middle of her closet. She began grabbing clothes off of the hangers, folding them, and setting them in the suitcase. She couldn't wait to get out of here for awhile.

-----

It was only 4 by the time she finished packing and she just had to get out of there. Chae was getting off of work, so she decided to meet her at her apartment. She took everything that she was going to take to Tree Hill with her so that she wouldn't have to come back before her flight. Chae wasn't home yet when Brooke got there, but luckily her roommate, Lauren was there, blending up some sort of smelly drink, and she let Brooke in. Brooke lugged all of her stuff into Chae's room, and was sitting on her bed, Indian style, reading a magazine when she got home.

"Hey Brookie Cookie" Chae said, bouncing into the room, dropping her things on the floor. She took off her heels, one shoe at a time, and then sat down on the floor rubbing her feet.

"Hey Chae-bay" Brooke said, not bothering to look up from the magazine.

"Sooo…" Chae said, looking up at Brooke with raised eyebrows. "What's going on? You sounded kinda funny on the phone."

Brooke looked up from the magazine, biting on her bottom lip. "Just got in a fight with Kade" she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"How come?" Chae asked, standing up and climbing onto the bed, sitting next to Brooke.

"Cause I'm going home for a week _and_ he just likes to be an ass" Brooke said, plain as day.

"When are you going?" Chae asked, smiling at how Brooke acted as if it was no big deal.

"Well, I'm going home tomorrow." Brooke told her, biting her lip as she looked away from Chae. "But, I told him I was leaving tonight…"

"And why did you do that?" Chae asked, grabbing the magazine away from Brooke and resting it in her own lap before she began flipping through the glossy pages.

"Cause I'm seeing Lucas tonight…"

Chae looked up, rolling up the magazine and smacking Brooke on the arm with it. "Shut up!"

"Oww" Brooke whined, glaring at Chae and rubbing her arm where the magazine had made contact with her bare skin.

"You little whore" Chae laughed, shaking her head back and forth, "I'm so proud of you."

"You just want me to hook up with Lucas" Brooke laughed.

"Have you seen him?" Chae said, raising her eyebrows, "He is hott…_of course _I want you to hook up with him! _And_, Kade is an ass and he doesn't deserve you." She said, nodding her head once for emphasis.

Brooke just laughed and shook her head.

"Well little Miss Brookie" Chae said, throwing the magazine aside and getting off of the bed. "We have _got _to get you looking amazing…" She grabbed Brooke's hands and pulled her off the bed.

-----

It was almost 8 and Brooke was in a cab on her way to Lucas' home. She had decided to wear a deep purple dress of Chae's. She absolutely loved that they could share clothes. The dress came to just above her knees, and had thick straps at the top. It had an empire waist, making it flow out towards the bottom. There was big black beading detail all along the square neck of the dress and up the straps. She wore her favorite black peep-toe pumps and some gorgeous black earrings. She decided to straighten her hair, letting it hang a little longer than her shoulders. She didn't wear too much makeup, but just enough.

When the cab pulled up to the cute house, Brooke noticed that all the lights were on inside, so Lucas must be home. The cab driver got out, and helped her get her luggage out of the trunk. He was an older man and very nice. He set her suitcase on the ground next to her, and slammed the trunk shut. Just then Lucas stepped out of the house, smiling at her from the doorstep. When she looked up at him he smiled even bigger. She nervously smiled at him before looking away.

"Coming home from a trip?" The cab driver asked, his voice aged, noticing Lucas on the porch and her suitcase on the ground.

"Something like that" Brooke smiled, taking out a few folded bills from her clutch and handing them to the man.

"He's a lucky guy" the cab driver smiled, placing a hand on Brooke's arm before retreating back to his open door and driving away.

Brooke grabbed the handle of her suitcase, pulling it up to the porch where Lucas took it from her. They went inside, and closed the door behind them, locking it. Lucas immediately pulled her into a hug, his lips meeting hers with a sense of urgency.

When they pulled apart he nodded towards the luggage, "I thought you only promised me a night" he laughed, "Guess I was way off."

Brooke shoved him on the chest, walking away from him, her hips swaying, "You couldn't be so lucky."

Lucas jogged after her, she was now in the TV room, standing with her arms folded across her chest, a smile playing on her glossy lips.

"You look amazing" Lucas told her, standing a few feet away from her.

"Now that you've _told _me," Brooke said, a sexy smile forming on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes, "I want you to _show _me" she said, closing the distance between them and grabbing a hold of his collared shirt, pulling him towards her. Lucas smiled at her and dipped his head down, his lips meeting hers.

Brooke playfully bit and sucked on his bottom lip and he rested his hands on her hips, guiding her to the couch. When the back of her knees hit the couch, she fell down onto it, Lucas falling on top of her. He rested his hands on both sides of her, so that his weight wouldn't be totally pressed onto her. Their kissing slowed down, each of them beginning to take their time with each other.

Lucas peeled her dress off slowly, tossing on the ground next to him. His urgency was making Brooke giggle. "You miss me?" She asked, her lips parting with his.

"Mmhmm" he moaned, reaching down to unbutton his pants. Brooke helped him slide out of them, and then they began kissing once more. Brooke unbuttoned his shirt expertly, without loosing contact with his lips once. Once his shirt was gone, she ran her hands all over his chest, smiling as she did so.

She rolled over so she was on top of him and she could tell that Lucas was getting antsy by the way he tugged at her panties, but she had to admit it was kind of fun making him wait. She ran her fingers down his chest to the top of his boxer shorts, playing with the top elastic of them. She ran a finger under the elastic, before pulling away completely. When he groaned against her mouth, she pulled at his boxers, sliding them down his legs.

-----

"Lucas" Brooke whispered in his ear, tapping him on the chest. His whole body was wrapped around her and he was definitely asleep. "Lucas" she said again, this time a little bit louder.

He let out a small groan, tightening his arms around her even more and snuggling his head into her neck, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling.

"Lucas," she tried again, tapping him on the chest a little bit harder, "Lucas wake up! I'm hungry" she whined into his hair.

He moved around slightly before slowly opening his eyes and looking up at her. She started to laugh when he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "What time is it?" he asked, letting out a big yawn.

"It's not even midnight yet" she told him, sitting up once his arms were detached from her.

"I'm so tired" he groaned, tracing the freckles on her back.

"And you should be" she said, turning her head over her shoulder so she could face him. "I know we broke _some _sort of record" she giggled, before reaching over next to where they were laying on the floor and grabbing his shirt. She pulled it on one arm at a time, buttoning almost all of the buttons. Lucas smiled, liking the way she looked in his shirt as she stood up, pulling at the bottom of it so that it barely covered her. "Now come on Broody, I need food."

He stood up, only wearing his boxers and followed her into the kitchen.

Brooke looked through the cupboards, pulling out a box of lucky charms, declaring it was her 'favorite'. Lucas grabbed two bowls and spoons while Brooke retrieved the milk from the fridge. Lucas also got out a box of cocoa puffs, he like chocolate more than marshmallows.

They sat at the table eating their cereal and talking.

Brooke opened her mouth, "I want a bite of yours" she told him, nudging him with her elbow.

He finished the bite he was eating and then fed her a bite, kissing her after she ate it. "You taste like chocolate" he said, smiling, before kissing her again.

He set his spoon down, bringing his hand into her hair and deepening the kiss. She put a hand up to his chest, pushing him away. "Hey Mr." she warned, pointing a finger at him, "don't get yourself carried away, I told you I was hungry and I intend to eat!"

"Sorry" he mumbled, resting his hand on her thigh. "I just can't help it."

"Mmm" Brooke nodded, turning back to her bowl of cereal.

"So how long are you going to be gone for?" Lucas asked before taking another bite. Brooke had casually mentioned that she was going to Tree Hill, but had left out all the details.

"Just like a week" she said, stirring the milk around in her bowl.

"How am I gonna go a week without seeing you?" Lucas asked, playing with her fingers.

"I think you'll survive" Brooke laughed, looking up at Lucas and winking.

"I don't know" he said, shaking his head. "I can't stop thinking about you Brooke."

"I know" she said, smiling smugly.

"You know?"

"I usually have that effect on guys…people in general really" she said, nodding her head in certainty.

"Brooke Davis," Lucas said, smiling as he shook his head. "What am I gonna do with you?"

"Well," Brooke said, dropping her spoon into the bowl and lifting a finger to her chin as if deep in though. "You'll kiss me…if you know what's good for ya" she said, squinting her eyes and nodding her head.

Lucas let go of her hand, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her until she stood up. He then pulled her so that she was sitting on his lap and she dropped her face down to his, and they started kissing. Brooke giggled against his lips as his hands stumbled underneath the shirt she was wearing. She wrapped her hands around his neck, kissing him hard.

-----

Sometime last night, they managed to make it to bed. Instead of sleeping in Lucas' cramped twin size bed, they slept in the queen bed in the guest room. Not that it mattered really, Brooke was curled up against Lucas, her body molding into his taking up hardly any space on the bed. They were both worn out from there long night together, making each other happy. Giving in to each others wants and needs. Talking until they couldn't keep there eyes open.

Brooke's phone started to ring around 9 a.m. waking them both up. Brooke kissed Lucas softly, and climbed out of bed. "Be right back."

She walked into the living room and found her phone just as it stopped ringing. She looked at her missed calls list and found that the call had been from Kade. He thought that she was already in Tree Hill. She dropped her phone back into her purse and walked back to the bedroom, finding Lucas sitting up in bed.

"Who was it?" he asked.

"No one important" Brooke smiled, leaning against the doorway, wrapped in a blanket.

"You coming back to bed?" Lucas asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I was thinking…" Brooke said, raising an eyebrow, "You and me. Shower. Now."

She then turned, walking towards the bathroom, and Lucas didn't have to say a word. He jumped out of the bed as if it was on fire, and ran to the bathroom to meet Brooke.

-----

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you to the airport?" Lucas asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"I'm positive" Brooke said smiling, wrapping her arms around his neck. "We don't want anyone to see us together now do we?"

Lucas groaned, his hands resting on her lower back. He pulled her closer to him, "I guess your right."

"I always am" Brooke smiled with a wink. Lucas leaned down to kiss her.

"Tell me when your back" Lucas said, "This week is gonna suck."

"You'll be fine" Brooke said, unraveling her arms from around his neck. "The week will be over before you know it, and we'll meet here the night I get back, promise."

"You better not be lying to me Brooke Davis" Lucas said with a smile.

"I'm not" she grinned, tapping him on the chest. "Now I _have _to go. I'll see you soon, Luke."

She leaned up, kissing him once more, this time with more passion. She then broke apart and they opened the door, revealing the outside world, the _real _world. She pulled her luggage behind her, walking out to the taxi that was patiently waiting.

* * *

**A/N: So, there it is! I like this chapter. Did you? Tell me what you thought. Once again I need to give a shout out to Katherine, have I told you that you are my favorite person ever??**


	8. I'll Be There For You

**A/N: Okay everyone, here is the next update! I'm sorry it took me so long, I was just caught up in getting These Days finished, and yeah. But anyways here is the next update! The song is Umbrella by Rhianna. I hope you guys like it...**_

* * *

_

_Said I'll always be your friend _

_Took an oath, __I'mma__ stick it out 'til the end _

_Now that it's raining more than ever know that we'll still have each other _

_You can stand under my umbrella _

**Chapter Eight- I'll Be There For You**

When Brooke arrived in Tree Hill, she was exhausted and it was only 6 p.m. She ran her hands through her hair as she walked through the airport. She made it to baggage claim and still hadn't ran into Haley yet. She was waiting for her suitcase in a big crowd of people when she heard a high pitched squeal making her turn around.

"Brookie!" Haley screamed running towards her and throwing her arms around her neck.

"Hale's!" Brooke smiled, hugging her friend tight. "I'm so excited to see you."

When they finally pulled apart, Brooke spotted her suitcase on the luggage carousel and between her and Haley they managed to pull the large suitcase onto the ground. Brooke drug the suitcase through the airport, Haley linking arms with her.

They finally reached Haley's car and climbed in. Brooke immediately started fumbling with the radio stations and they started back to Haley and Nathan's apartment.

"Brooke?" Haley said, looking over at her friend.

"Hmm?" Brooke responded, still trying to find a good song on the radio.

"We need to talk" Haley said, her tone flat. Brooke looked up at Haley, and she had a serious look on her face. Brooke had _no _idea what was going on.

Brooke looked over at Haley with a confused look on her face. Haley just raised her eyebrows signaling that she meant business. Brooke couldn't help but be nervous and the rest of the ride to Haley's was ridden in silence. Haley kept her hands on the steering wheel, looking straight ahead at the road in front of her. Brooke chewed on her bottom lip, trying to figure out what could be wrong. She didn't know if it had to do with her, or maybe Haley and Nathan. Maybe something happened with someone they grew up with, or maybe even Brooke's parents were back in town…she had no idea.

They pulled into Haley's parking spot and climbed out of the car. Brooke got her suitcase out of the trunk and followed Haley to her apartment. Once inside Brooke noticed that the apartment was empty. Nathan should be home, where was he? Did they have a bad break up?

Haley walked over to the fridge, getting two cans of Diet Coke out. Brooke sat up to the counter on one of the bar stools and Haley stood on the opposite side of the counter so that they were facing each other. Haley slid one of the cans to Brooke, and popped open her own can, taking a drink. Brooke followed suit, opening her drink and sipping on it slowly, while keeping a watchful eye on Haley.

"What's going on Hale's?" Brooke said in a concerned voice, setting her Diet Coke down on the counter.

"Brooke," Haley started, lowering her eyes to the counter before bringing them back up to her. "First of all I just need you to be honest with me…"

Brooke scrunched up her face, pursing her lips as she looked at Haley, "What are you talking about?"

"Kade called last night…" Haley started, "And he called again this morning." Brooke's eyes grew big. She didn't know whether she should feel bad about her lie or be mad at Kade for checking up at her. "He sounded pretty upset from your argument, and he was looking for you." Haley sighed again, Brooke's mouth was dropped open by now. "Where were you Brooke?" Haley asked, meeting her eyes with Brooke's.

Brooke sat silent for a minute, trying to decide the best way to answer. "Haley…"

"No, Brooke," Haley said, keeping her eyes locked on her friends. "I want you to be honest with me. You've been acting really weird lately. Why did you tell Kade that you were coming last night when you were clearly coming today? And where were you last night?"

"I-" Brooke started, pausing once again and bringing a hand up to her head. She looked around the room before answering. "I was with Chae…" Brooke started, feeling a queasy groan in her stomach as she lied to her best friend. Haley raised her eyebrows, obviously not buying it. "I just…I just, needed a break from him for a night."

"Brooke" Haley said, her eyebrows still raised. "How come I feel like you aren't telling me everything? You haven't been yourself lately. It's me Brooke…" Haley rested her head in her hands, getting tired of trying to get through to her best friend.

"God" Brooke puffed out, "Why is everyone accusing me of everything!" she said, her voice raising as she stood up from the stool. "You act like Kade is so perfect, well I've got news for you Haley…he's not, you don't even understand!"

"You won't let me understand, Brooke" Haley sighed. "Now, where were you really last night? You forget, I read you like a book…"

Brooke groaned and walked over to the couch, sitting down. She bent over so that her head was resting on her knees and tried to think of what she should do. Haley came over, sitting by her friend. Haley rested her hand on Brooke's back, trying to make her feel comfortable.

"It's me Brooke" Haley whispered, "We've been through everything together…talk to me."

Brooke sat up, looking at Haley. She could tell that Haley was worried about her. Maybe it was just time to come clean with everything.

Brooke took a deep breath before she started talking. "First, please try not to judge me…"

"Pinky swear" Haley said, smiling softly as she lifted up her pinky, holding it out to Brooke. Brooke lifted her pinky as well, locking it with Haley's as they shook their hands up and down before releasing their pinkies.

"I know you probably don't want to believe it, but Kade really isn't as great as _you_ think he is…as _everyone_ thinks he is." Brooke said, looking straight ahead of her, away from Haley. Haley kept looking at Brooke, staring at her profile. "It's hard to explain, its been going on for awhile now and I just can't handle it anymore Hale's. I just kind of stopped loving him along the way." Brooke sniffled, and wiped at her eyes trying to stop the tears from coming.

"Why didn't you tell me Brooke?" Haley asked, rubbing her friends back where her arm was still draped.

"You know sometimes, he doesn't even come home…" Brooke said, ignoring Haley's question and still looking straight ahead. "Sometimes he doesn't talk to me for days. Do you know how hard that is?" Brooke said, turning her head this time to look at Haley. Haley's face had dropped, a mixture of sadness and regret etched into it. "And then when he does talk to me, he's either extremely rude, picking fights over nothing, or he's expecting me to forget everything and have sex with him…" she said, turning her head again so she looked straight ahead of her.

"I had no idea," Haley said quietly, shaking her head back and forth. "I'm so sorry Brooke."

"Eventually, you learn to live with it. It's life, ya know?" Brooke sighed. "I started blaming myself, maybe I was the problem, maybe I wasn't trying hard enough or I just wasn't good enough."

"Brooke, no-"

Brooke started again, cutting Haley off. "I think I was almost too ashamed to admit we had problems, and Kade did so well covering them up in front of everyone, so I just went along with it. It was expected of me to be _with _him." Brooke stopped for a second, looking down at her hands. "Then I moved there…I probably shouldn't have, but it was kind of like the last chance, see if we'd work out, ya know? But I think it only made me realize I don't love him."

"Why don't you just break up with him, come home?"

Brooke ignored her again. "I'm not sure how to explain this next part, and you probably won't even understand. But I met someone…"

Haley's eyes opened wide, she was so surprised she didn't know what to say.

"Yeah, I know what you're thinking, how could I cheat on him? I know it should be wrong, but it's just…not" Brooke said, a small smile appearing on her face for the first time since they started talking. "He's amazing Haley." Brooke said looking over at her friend.

"I-" Haley started, "I don't know what to say."

"We hung out a few times and only kissed at first. After that I decided it was wrong and that I had to stop seeing him. But then Kade just kept being so horrible, and so I gave up." Brooke said, knowing that Haley would probably never understand. "I was with _him _last night, that's why I lied…I just need him right now, I can't explain it other than that."

"I wish you would've told me Brooke" Haley said, now she was the one refusing to make eye contact. "I mean, I can't say that I'm happy for you…it's just not right. And you are probably right, I probably won't ever understand. I saw how hurt you were after Kade cheated on you, I though you would've learned from that."

"I did Haley," Brooke said, shaking her head. "I didn't mean for this to happen, it just kind of did. He makes me happy though."

Haley just nodded. She then got up and walked back into the kitchen. "I need to make dinner."

"Kay" Brooke said, shrugging as she half smiled at Haley. She didn't really know how she expected Haley to react. Obviously she wasn't going to be happy with her. Brooke got up from the couch, "I'm gonna go for a walk, I'll be back soon." Haley nodded at her and Brooke left the apartment, grateful for the fresh air and space.

-----

Brooke walked down the familiar streets of Tree Hill, breathing in the clean small town air. She stuffed her hands in the front pockets of her jacket, and walked over to the river walk. She pulled a hand out of her pocket and checked her jeans for her cell phone, luckily she had brought it. She exited out of the screen telling her she had missed calls and voicemails and called Chae.

_"__Brookie__ Cookie!"__Chae__ exclaimed into the phone. "I thought you'd never call. How was your night with Lover Boy? Are you in Tree Hill now?"_

"Thanks for the ambush" Brooke laughed, barely fitting a word in. "Yes, I'm in Tree Hill, and yes, last night was amazing."

_"Well…good!" __Chae__ giggled, "You can give me details later!"_

"But the problem is-"

_"Problem?"__Chae__ asked, cutting Brooke off._

"God Chae, let me talk" Brooke laughed into the phone.

_"Okay, okay, sorry!" __Chae__ said, "I'm all ears now. __Promise!"_

"Well, Kade kinda called Haley, found out that I didn't come here last night…" Brooke sighed into the phone, the corner of her mouth dripping down as she talked.

_"Oh no" __Chae__ sighed, "And?"_

"Well, Haley started freaking out, and I kinda just told her everything" Brooke sighed into the phone. "She just doesn't get it, and I don't want her to think different of me." Brooke said, frowning.

_"It's okay, she's your best friend" __Chae__ said reassuringly. "Just go back and let everything work itself out, I mean she's not mad at you, __its__ just a lot to take in."_

"That's true" Brooke said, sighing once more as she stood against the railing, looking off into the ocean.

_"So you figure things out with Haley, maybe send Lover Boy a _dirty _text message or two and _I'll _talk to _you _later!" __Chae __said,__ her voice high and bubbly. __"__Byyye__."_

Brooke laughed, "Bye Chae-bay."

Brooke flipped her phone shut, putting it back into her pocket. She thought about texting Lucas, but decided against it and she started the walk back to Haley's house.

-----

Brooke opened the door, to the quiet apartment. When she shut the door behind her, Nathan came out of the hallway, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Brooke!" He grinned, opening his arms as she stepped into him, molding against the guy that was pretty much a brother to her.

"Natey" Brooke smiled, hugging him.

"It's good to see you," He said, pulling away from her. "I'm glad you are here, it just hasn't been the same without you."

"You're just trying to make me feel better" Brooke grinned, poking him on the chest, "but really, it's okay" she told him with a laugh.

"No, really" Nathan laughed, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Now come on, Haley made her _famous _macaroni and cheese, and it has _our _names written _all _over it!" He told Brooke as he drug her into the kitchen.

"Ooo" Brooke said, looking up at Nathan her lips forming a perfect 'O' as they walked into the kitchen.

"There you are!" Haley grinned at the sight of Brooke entering. Haley obviously had calmed down since Brooke had left, and Brooke couldn't help but be happy and surprised.

"I found her" Nathan nodded, "You can _thank _me later," he said, raising his eyebrows.

"Nate!" Brooke said, shoving him away from her, his arm falling off of her shoulder. "I don't need to hear about you and Haley and boring married sex!"

"Alright you two" Haley said, a small laugh "That's enough" she said, pointing her wooden spoon at them in warning.

"Okay, okay" Nathan laughed, holding his arms up as if he was being held by gun point, "I surrender!"

Brooke and Haley both laughed at him, shaking their heads. Brooke was relieved that the tension seemed to be lifted and that things were going back to normal. She was also glad that it from what she could tell, Haley hadn't told Nathan about all of her drama.

-----

Brooke woke up the next morning, stretching her arms and legs from her spot on the way too small couch. She sat up on the couch, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Morning sleepyhead" Haley smiled from a chair across the room.

"Mmm" Brooke groaned, looking over to see Haley sitting in the chair, her hair pulled up, glasses on and a magazine in her lap.

"So…" Haley stared, closing the magazine. "Kade won't stop calling…"

Brooke scrunched up her face, "Ughh" she groaned, throwing her hands over her face.

"Brooke, you are gonna have to deal with it sooner or later" Haley told her, getting up from the chair and retrieving the phone from the kitchen.

"Later please" Brooke said, sticking her tongue out at Haley.

"Call him" Haley demanded, looking at Brooke through her glasses which happened to be _very _intimidating as she shoved the phone in Brooke's face.

Brooke reluctantly took the phone from Haley as she gave her the best pouty face she could muster up. Haley shook her head, leaving the room so Brooke could be alone.

She dialed Kade's number on the phone, and sadly, it started to ring. "Please don't answer, please don't answer," Brooke said over and over again as the phone kept ringing, "Please don't-"

_"Hello?" __Kade__ asked into the phone, seemingly confused as Brooke was saying something when he answered._

"Hey" Brooke said quietly, "It's me."

_"Where the __**hell **__are you?" __Kade__ asked, anger bubbling up through his throat and projecting out of his mouth._

"Uh, Tree Hill" Brooke told him, attitude present in her voice as she rolled her eyes.

_"Better yet, where the __**hell **__were you the other night?" __Kade__ asked once more, "You know, the night you said you would be in Tree Hill but you just happened to be __**MIA**__?"_

"You know what?" Brooke scoffed into the phone. "I did _not _call to argue with you."

_"Why did you call Brooke?" __Kade__ almost yelled into the phone. "Did you have another lie you wanted to spit out? Another story you felt like telling?"_

"This is exactly what the problem is," Brooke said, shaking her head back and forth. Haley then walked into the room, and sat next to Brooke. "I can't do it anymore Kade" Brooke said, lowering her voice this time she was literally worn out, tired…just from talking to him.

_"Brooke-" __Kade__ tried, lowering his voice as well._

And with that Brooke hung up the phone, throwing it across the couch, and folding her arms in front of her chest. Haley wrapped her arms around Brooke.

"I'm so sorry" Haley told her, pressing her face against Brooke's. Brooke just nodded her head, leaning into Haley.

At least maybe Haley was starting to understand what her life was like now. She couldn't even talk to Kade, he wouldn't let her. She really wished she could see Lucas…

* * *

**A/N: Okay there it is! Now go ahead, review and I'll update! You guys are the best! Thanks for all of your support! XOXOXLindsay**


	9. Decision or Collision

**A/N: Well, well...First off, thank you to everyone who reviewed. You all seemed pretty happy with the last chapter, and I know you guys are missing Brucas, but I promise to make it up to you in the next chapter :) I want to say Happy (late) Birthday to _chopia-brucaslove_...I hope you had the best birthday ever! Here is a late birthday present to you :) Enjoy everyone...

* * *

Chapter Nine- Decision or Collision**

Once the elevator doors opened, Brooke and Lucas rushed inside. When the doors started to inch closer together, Brooke looked over at Lucas, already starting to breath heavily. The doors finally shut, Brooke swore it took forever, and she pushed herself against Lucas, slamming him against the wall of the elevator. She immediately pressed her lips against his, kissing him hard as he responded with the same urgency. Brooke reached her hands to the bottom of his shirt, lifting it over his head in one swift motion. She then worked on his belt, undoing it while keeping her mouth attached to his the whole time.

Brooke giggled against his lips as his hands made their way up her shirt. "I…missed…you" she said, in between kisses, never loosing contact for long. Lucas groaned against her mouth in response, she could tell that he had missed her too.

The elevator door dinged, signaling that they were to the 25th floor. They were both breathing heavily against each others lips as they kissed. Brooke wrapped her arms around Lucas' neck, pressing her body against his shirtless chest. He wrapped his arms around the small of her back and lifted her up, her legs immediately wrapping around his waist. She pushed her body as hard against his as she could while Lucas made the walk to the penthouse.

Brooke kissed and sucked on his neck as Lucas used one hand to reach for the keys in his pocket that Brooke had given him earlier. He found it hard to concentrate, with Brooke attached to him like a leach.

"Oh god Brooke" Lucas moaned, dipping his head back and closing his eyes. "I need you…"

Brooke nodded against his neck, removing her lips, "open the door and you can have me" she said to him with a wink before rushing her lips back onto his. Lucas was still holding her and some how he unlocked the door without dropping her while she kissed him. He stumbled inside, immediately leaning on a wall. He let Brooke down so she could stand on her two feet, and she pushed the door shut. Brooke threw Lucas' shirt on the ground while he reached for the hem of hers, pulling it over her head as she worked on unbuttoning her jeans. Brooke ran her hands up Lucas' bare chest as she kissed him again, still as rushed as before. Lucas' hands trailed all over Lucas' back. It was all happening so fast.

"Brooke" Kade said, walking into the hallway by the door after hearing the door slam shut. His eyes grew wide as he saw Brooke and Lucas, together, mauling each other as Lucas groped his girlfriend. Not that she seemed to be stopping, if anything she was the one that was making it happen. "Lucas?"

Brooke and Lucas both heard him the second time he spoke. Brooke unpeeled herself from Lucas, suddenly feeling exposed. Both of their faces were flushed and their lips swollen, Lucas' neck was red from where Brooke had been sucking and kissing. Brooke wrapped her arms around her body, breathing heavily. "Kade-" he held so many emotions in his face…hurt, confusion, shock, anger, sadness…

Brooke shot straight up in bed, her face sweating and her breath heavy. That had to be one of the best and worst dreams ever. Her chest was rising and falling so fast that she closed her eyes to try and calm herself down. She had kicked all of the blankets off of her but she still seemed to be sweating.

"Brooke breakfast is ready" Haley said from down the hall, her voice growing louder as she got closer to where Brooke was sleeping. "Wake-" Haley said stopping as she turned the corner to see Brooke who looked like she just saw her dog get killed. "-up. Hey, are you okay? You don't look so good…"

Brooke wiped her bangs out of her face, nodding her head, "Yeah, uh, I just" Brooke said, her breathing finally slowing, "had a bad dream."

"Oh" Haley said, confusion in her voice, "Okay, well, come eat. Then take a shower, you look like crap" she said with a laugh as she walked out of the room.

-----

"God Luke, it was horrible" Brooke told him after retelling the story of the dream she had.

_"It sounds like it was pretty hot and heavy" Lucas said with a smirk, "how could it be horrible? Maybe we can recreate it…"_

"Lucas!" Brooke shot out at him in shock.

_"I mean, without the __Kade__ ruining it part" Lucas cleared up, he couldn't help but smiling at Brooke's nervousness._

"Maybe it's a sign" Brooke sighed, leaning back on the park bench she was sitting on.

_"Brooke" Lucas said, a slight chuckle escaping out of his mouth, "We're careful, and we aren't going to be almost having sex in __**his **__apartment anyways. __Its__ nothing to worry about."_

"Are you sure?" Brooke asked, a frown forming on her face.

_"Yes, I am" Lucas said reassuringly. "Now go have fun with your friends, have more fantasies about me, and the night you come back, __**you **__are all __**mine**__." _

Brooke laughed, "Alright Broody boy, talk to you soon" she said, smiling into the phone as she hung it up.

She felt better after talking to him, she knew she would and was glad she called. She stuffed her phone back into her purse and slung it over her shoulder. She walked back over to the picnic table by the River Court and sat down next to Haley where they were watching Nate and Jake shoot hoops.

"Can we go yet?" Brooke whined, leaning her head onto Haley's shoulder.

"Yeah, guys" Haley whined back, meeting Brooke's tone. "Can we go? We've been here _all _morning…"

"Pretty _please_" Brooke whined, poking out her bottom lip.

Jake chuckled, holding the basketball under his arm as he rolled his eyes.

"Pleeaase" Haley whined, sticking her bottom lip out as well as her and Brooke leaned their heads against each other.

"You two are horrible when you're together" Nathan said, shaking his head. Him and Jake walked over to the picnic table, grabbing car keys and their water bottles, motioning towards the car.

"Thank you!" Brooke giggled, jumping off the picnic table and skipping towards the car. Her 'sadness' gone in an instant.

Jake followed Brooke towards the car as Haley hopped off of the table, standing on her toes to kiss Nathan.

"What was that for?" Nathan asked as Haley stepped away from him.

"Just for being amazing" Haley grinned, walking towards the car.

-----

They were walking through the mall, Brooke and Haley's arms linked together, Jake and Nathan following the girls.

"What did you buy?" Nathan asked, nodding towards the heavy bags that had over taken his arms.

"Stuff" Haley shrugged.

"Seriously, why did we come again?" Jake asked, shifting the bags that he was carrying.

"Cause you love us" Brooke said, turning her head over her shoulder and winking at the boys. "Now Jakey, since you love us oh _so _much, what do you think about buying me an ice cream cone?"

-----

The next afternoon Haley and Brooke had made a bed on the floor with blankets and pillows and were watching a movie while Nathan was at work.

"So guess what" Haley said suddenly, turning her gaze from the TV to Brooke.

"Hmm?" Brooke responded, still staring at the television. Haley snapped at Brooke making her turn her attention away from the TV.

"Well" Haley started, a smile starting to creep onto her face. "Nathan and I are gonna have a baby!"

"Oh my god are you serious!!" Brooke shouted, jumping up from the floor along with Haley and throwing their arms around each other. "I'm so excited!" Brooke exclaimed, her grin growing to match Haley's.

"We are really excited," Haley told Brooke, as they let go of each other, slowly stepping away. "We've been trying for a while ya know, and Nathan is doing good with the coaching job, and I've been substituting, we figured we were ready and then we took the test last week and surprise!"

"Haley that's great, you guys deserve this" Brooke said, now sitting on the couch with her friend, a huge dimpled smile adorning her face. "When did you find out?"

"Well, we went to the doctor a couple days before you came, I'm two months along!" Haley grinned, placing a hand on her still tiny tummy.

"That's great…Tutor-Mom" Brooke said with a wink. "So, I think this calls for some baby shopping!"

Haley smiled, narrowing her eyes at Brooke, "Didn't we just go shopping yesterday?"

"Uh, yeah" Brooke said, raising her eyebrows. "So? Everyday is a shopping day when you have Mr. Davis' credit card" Brooke grinned, patting Haley on the knee before she jumped up off of the couch, "Come on Tutor-Mom, get your purse…chop chop!"

Haley sighed with a smile, getting off of the couch and getting her purse, meeting Brooke at the door.

"I can't believe we are shopping again" Haley sighed as they got out of the car and walked towards the mall.

"Oh come on, this is like _big_, you are having a _baby_" Brooke said, raising her eyebrows at her silly friend. "Like this is so big we need to shop and celebrate!"

"Can't we just celebrate by getting an ice cream cake?" Haley asked, poking out her bottom lip.

Brooke's face lit up, "Ooo, I like the way you think friend!" Brooke smiled, rubbing her hands together, "After we shop we should absolutely get an ice cream cake!"

They walked into Baby Gap, and there were mom's _everywhere_. Some of them were pushing strollers, some of them were chasing little kids around, and some of them were big pregnant. There were babies in strollers, in arms and on backs. There were toddlers crying, holding their parents hands, and babbling.

"So this is what my life has come to" Haley said with a laugh as they surveyed the crazy store.

Brooke put a reassuring hand on Haley's shoulder, "Glad its you and not me…" she said, trying not to laugh as Haley's face fell. "I'm _kidding_" Brooke giggled, taking the lead and bombarding her way through the store with Haley close behind.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" A tall woman said, walking up to Brooke and Haley.

"We're just looking" Brooke said, slowly nodding her head as she gave the lady a big, fake smile.

"Just let me know" The lade grinned, walking away to fold some tiny clothes on a table.

"So, are you having a boy or a girl?" Brooke asked as she picked up a soft, light blue sleeper that had a tiny bear on the front.

Haley laughed, shaking her head. "Brooke, we just found out I'm pregnant, we don't know yet…"

"Oh" Brooke said, scrunching up her face as she set the baby outfit back down. "Hmm. Well, then I guess we'll just have to get stuff for both!"

-----

Brooke and Haley returned back to the apartment a little before 5 pm. They pushed through the doors, Brooke's hands full of shopping bags, and Haley's only concern being the large cookie dough ice cream cake in her arms. Nathan was having a late practice with the guys on the basketball team so he would be home later tonight.

Brooke dropped all of the bags on the floor by the couch and let out a long deep breath, "So I'd say that was a semi-successful trip" Brooke said, a small smile on her lips as she nodded once.

"Are you serious?" Haley scoffed, setting the cake down on the table. "_Semi_-successful, I'd say it was _overly _successful."

"Oh little Haley" Brooke said with a smile, patting Haley on the top of the head, "You have _no _idea…"

Haley rolled her eyes, laughing at Brooke as she got two forks out of a drawer in the kitchen. She brought the cake over to the living room where Brooke was, and they sat back down on the floor where their blankets and pillows were still resting. Haley set the cake down in front of them, and Brooke peeled off the lid as Haley handed her a fork. They both dug their forks into the large cake, taking a bite.

"_Sooo _good" Haley said, closing her eyes and smiling.

"Mmhmm" Brooke nodded, her mouth full. She swallowed the bite that was in her mouth. "Think we can finish it before Nathan gets home? Then we won't have to share…" Brooke said with a wink.

"I hope so" Haley laughed, stabbing her fork into the cake. "What are you gonna do Brookie?" Haley asked, her voice growing softer with a concerned tone.

"What do you mean?" Brooke asked, scrunching up her face in confusion. "_I'm_ just gonna eat this _cake_ fast so we don't have to _share_…"

"Noo" Haley smiled softly, "Not about the cake, about Kade and him…"

Brooke nodded her head and pursed her lips, setting her fork down next to the cake. This was a tough one, she didn't know how to answer it, or what exactly Haley wanted to hear.

"I mean, you've thought about it haven't you?" Haley asked, setting her fork down as well. "Like you can't just have your cake and eat it too" Haley said, looking down at the cake and back up to Brooke.

"Nice analogy Hale's" Brooke said with a small chuckle. "When I get home I'm going to break up with Kade, _officially_. I just have to. And when it comes to me and Luke, we haven't really talked about it. I mean, we aren't even serious right now…" Brooke said, mentioning Lucas' name to Haley for the first time.

"Well don't you think it is something that needs to be talked about?" Haley asked, looking over at Brooke.

"I guess so" Brooke shrugged, looking down at the floor. "We're just kinda having fun right now."

"So you are ruining your long time relationship for fun? Something that you don't even know if it has potential?" Haley said, she was getting frustrated with Brooke. For being a smart girl, Brooke was really acting dumb right now.

"You don't understand" Brooke said, shaking her head, refusing to get upset with her friend. "And I'm pretty sure me and Kade haven't had a 'relationship' for a _long _time, its been ruined for a while now."

"Then why did you move there with him? Why didn't you just break up with him?" Haley asked, throwing her hands up in the air.

"I don't know, _maybe_ because it was expected of me, _maybe_ because it was the safe move, _maybe_ because I'm stubborn as hell, and _maybe_ because I've never really had a family and I wanted to feel _wanted_" Brooke said, chewing on her bottom lip, trying to stop the tears from falling from her eyes.

"We're your family" Haley said softly, resting a hand on Brooke's knee.

"Yeah, but you have Nathan, and my parents have never been around, I just want to be wanted" Brooke shrugged, the tears now freely falling from her eyes. "Lucas makes me feel _wanted_…"

Haley leaned over, wrapping her arms around her crying friend. Brooke buried her head into Haley's shoulder, letting all of her feelings out that she had been holding in for years.

Haley held Brooke while she cried. They didn't talk very much, honestly Haley didn't know what to say to her and Brooke knew Haley wouldn't be able to understand anyways. When Nathan got home with a large pizza, he found Haley and Brooke laying on the ground, Brooke's head on Haley's shoulder her face still red and blotchy from crying. They were watching The Notebook, both of them on the verge of tears with a half eaten ice cream cake in front of them.

"Who died?" Nathan asked, his face scrunched up as he shut the front door.

"Shhh" Haley demanded, glaring at Nathan as she put a finger in front of her lips for emphasis. Brooke just raised her eyebrows and pointed to the TV to signal that they were in the middle of watching something.

Nathan laughed, quietly, "Well I brought home pizza if you two are hungry…"

Brooke and Haley both perked up at the mention of pizza. Haley scrambled off of the floor and into the kitchen where Nathan was setting the pizza box down on the counter. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him. "You are the best husband ever" She grinned, stepping away from him and to the pizza box that Brooke was already reaching into.

"Yeah, Nate, you really are the best" Brooke smiled, "I would kiss you too, but I don't want Tutor-Mom here getting jealous" she said with a wink.

Nathan laughed, getting plates out of the cupboard and handing one to Brooke and haley, "So she told you about the baby?"

"Yeah, hence the shopping bags in the living room" Brooke laughed, putting a slice of pizza on her plate. "Congratulations Nate, I'm sure Haley here will whip you into shape and you'll be a great dad!"

"That's right" Haley nodded, smiling at Nathan as she slapped him on the arm when she walked past.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, I know this chapter was mainly a filler...but, I'd still love to read what you have to say...then I'll update again :)**


	10. Better Together

**A/N: Thank you to everyone for reviewing, even though a lot didn't happen in the last chapter! The song is Buttons by the pussycat dolls. Here is the next one, I think you guys will like it! The Brucas baby is coming soon, so don't worry.. but this story isn't all about them having a baby or else you would have seen it already... Anyways, here's the chapter so enjoy!!**_

* * *

_

Baby can't you see 

_How these clothes are fittin' on me _

**Chapter Ten- Better Together**

After a very tearful goodbye, Brooke boarded the plane at the crowded Tree Hill airport. She was happy that she got the chance to go home and hang out with Haley. She felt like they had been growing apart ever since she moved away, and that wasn't a good feeling. Brooke was now going back to New York feeling relieved, feeling like she had grown closer to her best friend and that she could talk to her about everything. Of course it was hard to leave Tree Hill, but she was excited to be getting back to New York. She definitely wasn't looking forward to seeing Kade; she had been avoiding him all week when she was in Tree Hill. He would go from leaving nice voice mails, to not so nice voice mails, and it was just getting to be _really_ annoying.

Lucas was planning to pick her up from the airport, so that they could spend the night together as promised. Brooke was excited to see him, and felt herself growing nervous just as she thought about the blonde haired guy that would be waiting for her when she landed.

-----

Lucas went into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. Brooke's plane was going to be there soon, and he couldn't wait to see her. He unscrewed the cap, taking a long drink from the bottle. When he was done, he put the cap back on, and wiped the water off of his lips with the back of his hands. He reached for his keys that were rested on the counter and when he looked up, Peyton had entered the kitchen and had her back leaning against the door frame. Lucas shook his head, he didn't want to deal with her, not now.

"Where are you going?" Peyton asked smugly, crossing her long, dangly arms across her chest.

"Out" Lucas said, pushing past her and leaving the kitchen. She followed him.

"You've been home a lot this week" she noted, a sly smile spreading across her face. She was acting weird, Lucas turned around and raised his eyebrows waiting for her to continue. "I mean, you've actually slept here every night this week. That's kind of weird. You've been extra broody too, then all the sudden, today, you perk up like you are seeing rainbows and kitty's suddenly." She smiled, watching Lucas squirm.

"I think it's the 'Coke' talking Peyton" Lucas said, glaring at her, "Maybe you should lay off the drugs for awhile."

"Just making an observation" she laughed, resembling that of one of the villains in a Disney movie.

Lucas shook his head, leaving through the front door of their large apartment and leaving the elevator, walking down the street to the garage where his car was parked.

-----

Brooke pulled her suitcase off of the luggage carousal and walked quickly to the nearest bathroom. When inside, she grabbed some paper towels and went into the biggest stall, opening up her suitcase very carefully so that nothing fell out. She lined the floor with paper towels and kicked off the flip flops she had been wearing. She then slid out of her sweat pants, being left in lacy black panties. She pulled the long sleeved shirt over her head that she had been wearing on the plane, and straightened the matching black bra. She reached in the suitcase, grabbing for the tiny black dress that lay on top. She slipped the dress over her head, adjusting it once it was on. The dress was sleeveless, so she tugged at the top of the dress so that it was on just right, revealing the perfect amount of cleavage. She smoothed her hands down the front of the dress, pulling at the bottom of the dress that fell mid-thigh. She reached into the suitcase grabbing some black strappy heels, and slid them on her feet. She stuffed her other clothes and shoes into the suitcase, grabbed out a small bag and zipped the suitcase closed.

She came out of the bathroom, pulling her rolling suitcase behind her. She stopped in front of the mirror, setting the suitcase beside her and resting the bag on the counter. She opened the bag, retrieving a silver necklace, and placed it on her neck. She then brushed her teeth, smiling into the mirror. She touched up her make up and put on a fresh layer of lip-gloss. She tousled her curly hair, and checked her appearance once more.

"Coming home to a man?" An older lady next to Brooke asked. She was washing her hands, and seemed to be at least in her sixties, if not seventies. She was so tiny, and her white hair was permed perfectly. She had on pink lipstick and her lime green shoes matched her floral shirt. She smiled up at Brooke.

Brooke looked over at her, not even noticing that she was there. "Yeah, I am" Brooke grinned, revealing her dimples as she stuffed everything back inside the small bag, zipping it up.

"I bet he'll be happy to see you" the lady told her, walking away from the sink and getting some paper towels from the dispenser, drying her hands off.

"I hope so" Brooke nodded with a smile.

"Dressed like that he will be" the lady smirked, winking at Brooke before she left the restroom.

Brooke laughed, shaking her head. She put the small bag, back inside of her suitcase, slung her black purse over her shoulder, grasped the handle of her suitcase and left the bathroom.

She walked to the doors of the airport, leading to the outside world. She noticed people staring at her. Girls would look at her, disgust on their faces but only because they were insanely jealous. Guys would stare at her, pretty much drooling down the front of their shirts. But her favorite stares were from the guys' girlfriends, she tried not to laugh as they slapped their drooling boyfriends, forcing the guys' attention back to them.

When Brooke reached the doors, the crowd seemed to separate and the doors opened. She stepped outside into the cool New York air and thought she maybe should've put on a jacket. She walked out to the sidewalk, standing on the edge next to the street and looked around for Lucas in the large, black vehicle. She smiled when she saw it pull up.

Lucas parked the vehicle next to the curb, and broke the rules, climbing out of the car and meeting Brooke at the passengers' side. He looked at Brooke, and a smile grew on his serious face. He walked towards her, slinking his arms around her waist and pulling her into him. "God, I missed you" he whispered into her ear, as he breathed in, smelling the coconut of her shampoo.

She pulled away, smiling. "What if someone see's us?" she asked as Lucas took the suitcase from her hands, loading it into the car.

He opened the passenger door for her, holding her hand and helping her climb in the car. Once she was sitting in the seat he leaned in, kissing her chastely on the lips. "Don't worry." He grinned, reaching a finger up to touch her nose before he pulled away, shutting the door for her.

He walked around the car, getting in his side. He reached in the backseat of the car, retrieving a small bouquet of wildflowers. He handed them to her and before she could say anything he leaned over the car, resting a hand on the back of her head and pulling her into a kiss. She smiled against his lips, giving into the boy she couldn't stop thinking of.

He finally pulled away, smiling at Brooke as he put the car in drive and they pulled away from the airport. "Did I tell you that you look amazing?" Lucas asked, turning to Brooke and letting his eyes linger on her body before he looked up into her hazel eyes.

"I don't think you did" Brooke said, grinning at Lucas. "Miss me?" She asked with a giggle as she watched Lucas' eyes roam across her body.

Lucas inhaled deeply. "Is it that obvious?" He said, turning his attention back to the road. "How was the trip?"

"Good" Brooke said, plainly. She reached a hand over, resting it on his knee before slowly bringing it up his thigh making Lucas twitch. "But I couldn't stop thinking about you…"

Lucas placed a hand on top of hers to stop it from roaming up farther, "If you keep that up I might have to pull over" he said, raising an eyebrow to Brooke.

"Hmm" She moaned, taking it into consideration as she looked out the window. "How about there" Brooke said, using her other hand to point out the window.

Lucas looked over, his eyes following to where she was pointing. His eyes stopped when he saw a really trashy looking motel, the moon rising over it. "Brooke, I'm not taking you to some sleazy motel" he said, shaking his head as he read the neon sign that was flashing 'Tropical Motel'.

"But they have a hot tub" Brooke said, turning to face him, and smiling with a hint of an idea playing off of her face. "Just pull over…"

Lucas breathed deeply, giving into Brooke and turning his blinker on, turning into the parking lot. He drove to the front of the motel by the front door.

Brooke shook her head, "No, no, no" she said, a small seductive smile on her lips. She tapped her fingers lightly on his thigh, and pointed to the back of the hotel where there was a gate made of white bars. "There" she said, pointing to the parking spots that lined the gate.

Lucas followed her direction and drove through the empty parking lot stopping in a spot by the gate. Brooke jumped out of the car fast, meeting Lucas at his door.

"What exactly did you have in mind" Lucas asked, wrapping his arms around Brooke as he dipped his head down, trying to capture her lips in a kiss before she pulled away abruptly.

She reached behind her, grabbing his hands in hers and bringing them back in front of her. She let go of one of his hands, but grabbed the other one tighter, pulling him towards the white gate. "We, Lucas Scott, are going in the hot tub" she said with a smile. When they reached the gate she let go of him, reaching her hand inside the gate and unhooking a latch, pushing the gate open. She started to walk through the gate, turning back to Lucas, "Come on" she said with a smile, him following closely behind her.

She walked to the wall behind the hot tub and turned a dial on the brick wall causing bubbles to emerge into the round hot tub.

"Do you do this often?" Lucas asked, his hands in his pockets as Brooke walked away from the wall and back towards Lucas.

She shook her head slowly, reaching for the hem of his shirt. He lifted his arms up, and she pulled the shirt over his chest, discarding the shirt onto the hard concrete and running her hands all over his bare chest. She then unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, slowly pulling them down.

She kicked off her heels and then turned around so that her back was to Lucas. She gathered all of her hair in her hands, holding it up, "Unzip me" she told him. He slowly unzipped her dress, revealing her strapless bra and lacy panties. Once her dress fell off her, she grabbed his hand, guiding him to the steps of the hot tub, him walking in after her. She pushed Lucas on the chest, forcing him to sit down on the seat that ran along the wall of the hot tub. Once he was sitting, she straddled his lap, her knees on either side of him as she rested her body on his thighs.

He wrapped his arms around her, bringing his mouth to hers with urgency. He kissed her fast, biting on her bottom lip before dipping his tongue into her mouth. He unhooked her bra, letting her breasts spill out into the bubbly water, leaving her bra to float around the steaming hot tub. Brooke pressed her naked body against his as hard as she could, their mouths never losing contact.

Brooke groaned, and as she wiggled on Lucas' lap it made him more urgent for her. "What are you doing to me Brooke Davis?" Lucas asked out of breath, as he detached his lips from hers.

Brooke just smiled and kissed him softly on the lips. He watched as she stood up off of his lap and her hands disappeared under the water. She bit on her lip and kept her eyes glued on his, making sure they never lost eye contact. "Brooke" he groaned once more, becoming more desperate for her.

She smiled softly, her hands coming out of the water holding her black lacy underwear. She held them up above the water, before dropping them back into the water. She stepped closer to Lucas, her hands disappearing under water once more as she reached for the band of his boxers. He shuddered as he felt her fingers on his skin, pulling his boxers off. Once they were removed, Brooke kneeled over him, her knees once again on each side of him. She slowly lowered down so that she was sitting on top of him. She threw her head back as he entered her, and he immediately pulled her back, placing his hands around her neck, pulling her to him so that their lips met once more.

They took their time exploring each other all over again as if it was their first time together.

* * *

**A/N: Alrighty, there it is, now go on..review :) you know the drill! Thank you once again to everyone that reviewed! Oh, and Katherine, I liked your idea, I'm almost positive I might use it...you need to get a FF account so I can talk to you or you should just email me! Anyways, review, and I'll update! I love you all!! XOXOXLindsay**


	11. Starts With Goodbye

**A/N: First of all, thank you for all of your amazing reviews! Seriously, I like love you guys! Here is the next chapter, the song is Battle By Colbie Caillat...Enjoy!!**_

* * *

_

_You thought we'd be fine_

_All these years gone by_

_Now you're asking me to listen_

_Well then tell me 'bout everything_

_No lies, we're losing time_

**Chapter Eleven- Starts With Goodbye**

Everyone was pretty shocked when Brooke told them that she pretty much broke up with Kade. Chae was ecstatic, giving Brooke a high five and offering to buy her drinks all night at the club. Lucas was shocked, he was excited, but a little bit nervous of where that would take his and Brooke's 'relationship' or whatever it was. Haley was nervous for Brooke, and felt like she was caught somewhere in the middle since Kade wouldn't stop calling her looking for answers.

Brooke had been home from Tree Hill for three days now and hadn't bothered going by her and Kade's apartment. Ever since her and Lucas' night in the hot tub she stayed between his house and Chae's. She knew that she was going to have to talk to Kade sooner or later, and to her dismay, it would probably have to be sooner.

She couldn't believe that she had been in New York for only two and a half months. With everything that has happened in the short time, it felt like she'd been there forever.

Brooke got out of the shower and walked into the bedroom, her wet hair hanging down her back and a small towel wrapped around her body.

"Wake up" Brooke said happily as she walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it making while sure to keep one hand holding up the white towel.

Lucas shifted around, slowly opening his eyes. He smiled as he noticed Brooke sitting next to him. "Morning" he said, the sound of sleep still in his voice.

She leaned down, kissing him softly on the lips, and then sat back up. "Good morning to you too…" Brooke smiled, standing up from the bed. "Now come on, its time to get up, I expect breakfast before its time to leave." She told him, pointing a finger at the sleepy blonde boy.

Lucas smiled as her, until she started to walk away from the bed. He grabbed onto her hand before she got too far out of reach, and he pulled her back towards him, "Where do you think you are going?" He asked, his voice raspy, as she fell onto the bed.

"To get dressed" She said, scrunching her face. "I was serious about breakfast, Lucas Scott!"

Lucas just nodded, his fingers slowly made their way up her still wet leg and finding the bottom of the towel. "This first," he smiled, lifting the blankets up with one hand. He then slowly unwound the towel form her body and pulled her on top of him. He pulled her against him, making her giggle and kissing her as the blanket fell back on top of them.

-----

"Lucas you are going to be late, and if I'm late to meet Chae, I will _kill_ you" Brooke threatened, walking around the bedroom and looking for her missing earring.

"You know it was worth it" Lucas said with a laugh. Brooke looked up at him, glaring. "Hey now," he said, holding out his hands in truce. "You weren't looking at me like that 30 minutes ago when you were screaming my name…"

"Lucas Scott" Brooke growled, walking over to him and slapping him on his upper arm. "You are _so_ not funny. Now help me find my earring" she told him, walking into the bathroom in a hurry where her flat iron was plugged in and ready to be used. She picked it up and started running it through her hair.

"Is this what you were looking for?" Lucas asked, walking into the bathroom, holding up a gold earring.

"Yes" Brooke grinned, her cheeriness coming back to her at the sight of the gold object in Lucas' hand. She set down the flat iron and grabbed the earring from Lucas, putting it on. She reached a hand up, placing it behind his neck and pulled him towards her, kissing him quickly. "Thank you" she smiled, picking up her flat iron once more and running it through her hair.

"You are very welcome" Lucas said, resting a hand on her waist and leaning down to kiss her exposed shoulder.

"Don't start again" Brooke whined, knowing she wouldn't be able to say no to him.

Lucas brought his head back up and kissed her on the cheek, "I'll go get us something to eat on the drive" he told her and she smiled thankfully.

-----

They finally made it out of the house, luckily. Lucas dropped her off at Chae's where she had been staying and then he made his way to basketball practice, it was bound to be a long day. Being around Kade the last couple of days had been really weird. Kade was pissed off about his fight with Brooke, and it had turned him into a jerk. He was really pushy and rude during practice and everyone was getting sick of it, especially Lucas.

-----

"So" Chae said opening the door for Brooke and then closing it behind her as she entered. "How was the sleepover?"

Brooke laughed, tilting her head back as she did so. "It was good," Brooke nodded, "Yeah, good." She said with a smile.

"So…" Chae began again. They sat down at the table and Chae started to twirl her ring around on her finger. Brooke looked up at her, waiting for her to continue. "When are you gonna talk to Kade?"

Brooke sighed, bringing a hand to her hair, running her fingers through it nervously. "I don't know. He keeps calling and I know I can't avoid him forever…"

"You know I support the whole 'Brucas' thing and all-"

"Wait" Brooke said, cutting Chae off, "_Brucas_? What the hell?"

"Ya know, it's like Brangelina…Brooke and Lucas…Brucas…" Chae said her eyes big, shocked that Brooke didn't know what she was talking about.

"Are you serious?" Brooke laughed; the idea of her and Lucas' names mixed together like Hollywood stars was a pretty funny idea to the brunette.

"Yeah" Chae said seriously, emphasizing herself with a harsh nod of the head. "Anyways, back to what I was saying…I'm _all_ about the Brucas, but you are kind of a bitch for the way you left it with Kade…I mean, _'I can't do it anymore'_? What kind of a break up is that?" Chae said, stifling a laugh as she watched Brooke's expression change to shock.

"Way to be honest Chae" Brooke scoffed. She stayed silent for a minute, thinking about what Chae had said. She sighed before saying anything, "I know I need to talk to him, this just _sucks_."

Chae nodded, reaching a hand over and placing it on top of Brookes. "I know it does Brookie, but the sooner you talk to him, the sooner it's officially over…"

Brooke nodded; she knew that Chae was right; she just needed to end her relationship with Kade for good.

-----

The rest of the day had been pretty uneventful, Chae went to work, and Brooke cleaned the whole apartment. Chae's roommates got home before she did, so Brooke opted for watching the history channel with them, that's just how bored she had been.

It was around 9 p.m. and Chae and Brooke were watching a move when Brooke's phone rang.

Chae reached for it, scanning the screen. "It's Kade again, do you wanna answer it or should I send him to voicemail?" She asked, looking blankly at Brooke.

Brooke bit on her bottom lip before taking the ringing phone from Chae slowly. She looked at Chae, her hazel eyes full of emotion.

Chae nodded, placing a reassuring hand on Brooke's shoulder, "I'll be in the living room if you need me" She told Brooke. She then got off of the bed, and walked for the door, turning around to give Brooke a soft smile before she left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Hey" Brooke said into the phone as she flipped it open. She tried to hided the shakiness in her voice by biting down on her lip hard.

_"You answered" Kade said surprised. She couldn't blame him __though;__ he'd been calling her for over a week with no answer._

"Yeah" she said softly, not knowing what else to say to him.

_"I'm glad you are okay" Kade confessed, letting out a relieved sigh. "I know you've been back in town for a few days…"_

"Yeah, I just got back like three days ago" Brooke admitted. She leaned back into the pillows on Chae's bed, pulling the blanket tight against her.

_"I've been worried" Kade said sincerely._

"Sorry," Brooke choked out, "I've just had a lot going on."

_They were both quiet, before Kade broke the silence, "When are you coming home?"_

"I don't know" Brooke said, shaking her head. "I don't think it's a good idea."

_"Brooke," Kade sighed, defeated. "We need to talk about all of this."_

"I know we do" Brooke nodded, closing her eyes. Why did he have to be so nice about all of this? "Are you busy tomorrow?"

_"No, no" Kade responded, maybe a little _too_ quickly._

"I'll meet you at the apartment" Brooke told him, confident in her words. "How about two?"

_"Yeah" Kade said, his voice changing from sad to hopeful. "Yeah, that's fine."_

"Alright," Brooke said, "See you tomorrow. Bye Kade."

_"Bye" Kade said, smiling into the phone, thinking he had a chance to get his Brooke back._

------

"Are you sure you wanna go over there alone?" Chae asked for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Yes" Brooke laughed at her insistence.

"I could just wait in the lobby?" Chae suggested, scrunching her shoulders.

"I'll be fine!" Brooke told her, "Really."

Chae sighed, leaning back into the couch. "When you are done, we should go apartment shopping!"

Brooke laughed again. "_Shopping_ for apartments?"

"Yeah" Chae giggled, "I mean if you are up for it" she added.

"Yeah, we'll see" Brooke told her, "I better go, I don't want to be late for my break up" Brooke laughed.

Chae gave Brooke a hug, wishing her luck and Brooke left the apartment.

-----

Brooke stood outside of the beautiful building that had been her home for the last two months. She took a deep breath as she walked towards the door, shifting her bag on her shoulder nervously as she entered.

"Brooke" Jesse smiled as he opened the door for her. "I haven't seen you for a while!"

Brooke smiled, "Yeah, I went home to Tree Hill for a week" she explained as Jesse walked her towards the elevator.

"That's good," Jesse grinned, pressing the elevator button. "It's good to see you though."

"Good to see you too Jesse" Brooke smiled nervously, nervously adjusting her bag again.

The elevator dinged, and Jesse waved at Brooke as the doors closed.

The ride in the elevator was way too fast. When the doors opened to her floor, she actually thought about just going back down and leaving. She decided to step out of the elevator, knowing that this was something that had to be done. She didn't have a choice really, and she knew that.

When she stood in front of the door to the penthouse, she ran her fingers through her hair and straightened her shirt. She brought her hand up to the door, knocking on it lightly.

"Hey" Kade smiled, opening the door. When Brooke just stood there, he stepped aside, "Come in…"

Brooke nodded, "Thanks" she said, as she stepped inside the apartment. She walked over to the couch and sat down, keeping her bag by her feet. After Kade shut the door he joined her.

"It was so weird having you gone" he admitted as he sat down. He reached an arm out, wrapping it around her shoulders and trying to pull her into a hug. When she pulled away from him, he sat back dejectedly.

"Kade" she said, her voice demanding.

He squinted his eyes, looking at her, "What? I can't hug my girlfriend?"

"Kade" she warned again, scooting away from him on the couch. "We've been over for a long time, and I think neither of us wanted to admit it."

"Brooke-" Kade shot out, interrupting her.

"Listen…" she said, looking into his eyes letting him know that she meant it. He sat back into the couch, placing his hands in his lap. "You haven't been committed in this relationship for awhile, and I didn't want to admit that we failed. I thought we would be together forever, but things just got messed up. We can't be together anymore. I think we both know it…"

"Brooke" Kade started, sitting up again. He reached for her hands and she immediately pulled them against her. "We can be together still. We can't just throw all of this away."

Brooke raised her eyebrows, "Are you serious? You threw it away a long time ago. I've been holding onto this for both of us for way to long. I'm not happy anymore Kade and I don't think you are either. It's _over_."

Kade shook his head, "It's not over Brooke. You can say that, but we both know it isn't."

Brooke stood up, a small smile creeping on her face. "It's over" she repeated once more, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. "I'm just gonna go get some things; I'll come back sometime next week to get everything."

Brooke walked into the bedroom and grabbed a duffel bag out of the closet. She started throwing stuff in it, trying to figure out what she would need the most. She was almost surprised that Kade hadn't followed her in there; he must have realized that she was being serious.

Brooke went into the bathroom and as she was throwing different things into a small bag she heard Kade come in behind her.

"Is there someone else?" he asked, leaning against the doorway.

Brooke dropped her toothpaste into the bag and stopped what she was doing, looking up at the ceiling as she let out a long breath. "Kade-"

"I need to know Brooke."

She set the bag on the ground, looking over at Kade. She folded her arms against her chest; "I don't know what to say" she choked out. Her eyes started to water, and her stomach tightened into a big knot, she felt like crap.

Kade closed his eyes, "How long?" he asked, opening his eyes again, looking directly at Brooke.

"I don't know" she said quietly. "I'm sorry Kade." She told him, reaching out a hand and touching his arm softly. "I know that I shouldn't have done that to you, and I didn't plan on it. It just kind of happened." She started to get more confident, thinking about all of the times Kade had hurt her. "I mean you can't really be mad at me, what did you expect?"

Kade shook his head, leaving the bathroom. Brooke hurried and finished packing. When she walked towards the door with all of her things Kade came up from behind her.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, and was looking down at his feet. "I'm sorry Brooke" he said, moving his eyes towards hers. "I know that I haven't treated you like I should have. And you do deserve more, but that doesn't make this hurt any less."

Brooke nodded, "its okay… I mean I'm sorry too…"

"Maybe, can we still be friends?" He asked, holding on to what could be the last part of Brooke he would ever have.

"Kade" Brooke said, shaking her head. "Everyone says that." She wished she could say yes, that they could be friends, but after everything they had been through together, she knew it was close to impossible.

"I just…" Kade started, "Never mind."

-----

Brooke opened the door to Chae's apartment, dragging all of her things inside.

Chae walked out of her room when she heard the door open. "How'd it go?" She asked, setting her pudding cup down on the counter and walking towards Brooke.

"It's over" Brooke shrugged with a small smile.

"Good" Chae nodded, "It's about time."

"Yeah" Brooke sighed.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Brooke shrugged. "I mean, I am. But he was a big part of my life and I'd be lying if I didn't say it was hard, it still is hard. I can't help but be sad about it."

Chae threw her arms around Brooke, pulling her into a hug. "You did the right thing."

"I know I did" Brooke whispered into Chae's shoulder.

* * *

**A/N: How happy are you guys right now??? Hahaha! Well, how about you just leave me a review and tell me what you thought! I'm sure some of you might think Kade was way too nice, but he knew it was coming...So anyways! Review and I'll update again, probably sunday or monday depending on reviews! Love you all! XOXOXLindsay**


	12. How Strong Are You Now?

**A/N: Alright everyone, here is the next chapter! I hope you guys like it...the song is called Cold As You and it is by Taylor Swift. Thank you's are at the end...Enjoy!!**_

* * *

_

_So I start a fight 'cause I need to feel something_

_And you do what you want 'cause I'm not what you wanted_

**Chapter Twelve- How Strong Are You Now?**

_"So, you guys are really done?" Haley asked._

"Yeah," Brooke said, digging through her suitcase. "We are really done."

_"Did you tell him about Lucas?"_

"Well, he knew that I was seeing someone. So I told him I was, but I just didn't tell him it was Lucas…obviously" Brooke laughed nervously.

_"Hmm" Haley sighed, "So what now?"_

"Well, I'm staying with Chae, but we are gonna go look for apartments today" Brooke told her. "I still have to go get all of my stuff from Kade's too…"

_"That should be interesting__" Haley chuckled. _

"Yeah, tell me about it" Brooke groaned.

_"Well, keep me informed."_

"I will" Brooke smiled, "Talk to you soon best friend."

_"Kay, bye Brooke."_

Brooke said by and hung up the phone. She finally found the shirt she was looking for and pulled it out of her suitcase. She scrunched her face up when she noticed how wrinkled it had gotten. She shook it out before slipping it on. She was getting really sick of living out of a suitcase and hoped her and Chae found an apartment and fast.

"Hey, ready to go?" Chae asked, bouncing into the room.

Brooke stood up and grabbed her purse, "Yeah let's get out of here. I'm meeting Luke for dinner tonight, so we have to be efficient."

Chae laughed, "Yeah, whatever!"

Brooke and Chae were both worn out after looking at apartments all over the city. They couldn't believe how expensive and small everything was. It was pretty discouraging. Once they got back to Chae's apartment they threw themselves down onto the couch.

"So that sucked" Brooke groaned, leaning back into the couch and closing her eyes.

"Seriously" Chae agreed, covering her face with a pillow.

They sat in silence for a little while until one of Chae's roommates got home.

"Did you guys find anything?" Lauren asked, pulling at her long, stringy blonde hair. She sat down in a chair next to the couch, resting her feet on the coffee table.

"Noooo" Brooke groaned.

"Why don't you guys just see if there is a two bedroom apartment in this building that's open?" Lauren asked, leaning back into the chair as she secured the long scarf in her hair.

Chae sat up, her eyes wide. "Lauren, that's genius" she nodded. She grabbed a pillow hitting Brooke with it, "Isn't that a good idea?"

Brooke sat up, rubbing her arm, "Yeah, why didn't we think of that before?"

"Let's go talk to them" Chae said, standing up from the couch and pulling on Brooke's arm.

"I can't" Brooke sighed, "I gotta go get ready to meet Luke. But you should go talk to them and tell me how it goes!"

Chae nodded, "Alright, I'll call you!"

-----

The taxi pulled up to Lucas' house and Brooke paid the driver and climbed out. She had her hair pulled back out of her face and a simple off white silky tank top on with jeans. When she reached the front door it was unlocked so she walked in.

"Lucas?" she called into the quiet house. It smelled good in there, so she knew he must've been home.

"In the kitchen" he called back.

Brooke set down her purse and kicked off her shoes, following the great smelling food into the kitchen. Lucas was standing over the stove, stirring something in a pan. Brooke walked up behind him and snaked her arms around his waist, leaning her head against his back.

"Hey" she smiled, squeezing his middle.

"I'm glad you're here" Lucas told her, setting down the spatula and turning around, placing a hand on her face. He leaned into her, kissing her softly. "Did you two find an apartment?"

Brooke leaned her head against his chest, "Well, not really. There was like nothing. Everything was expensive and small." Brooke groaned, she lifted her head off of his chest and looked into his eyes. "But when I left Chae was going to go talk to the guy that manages her apartments and see if they have anything open there." She told him with a smile.

"That would be good," Lucas smiled back, running a hand down her cheek. He kissed her once more before letting go of her and turning back to what he was cooking.

"What are you making?" Brooke asked, walking towards the table and sitting down. She reached for a bowl of jelly bellies that was sitting on the table and immediately started picking through it, finding all of the watermelon ones.

"I'm making a kind of chicken stir-fry" Lucas told her, "It should be done in about five minutes. " He turned to look at her and he started to laugh, "Stop eating all of the watermelon ones…"

Brooke poked out her bottom lip, "Come on, you know they're my favorite!"

Lucas shook his head, and reached into the cupboard pulling out two plates. He then went to the fridge and got out two beers, handing one to Brooke and keeping the other for himself. Brooke continued picking through the bowl of candies as Lucas got their plates ready.

After they ate, they sat together on the couch, watching TV. Lucas was sitting on one end and Brooke was leaning against him, his arm draped loosely around her shoulders.

"So" Lucas said, breaking the silence. Brooke looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. "You and Kade are-"

"Dunzo" Brooke finished, resting back into Lucas.

Lucas nodded, not saying anything else.

Brooke sat up again, looking at Lucas. "Hey," she started, bringing a hand to his face. "You're brooding…what are you thinking about?"

Lucas just shrugged, "I don't know. I'm glad you got out of that relationship, just…where does that leave us?"

Brooke smiled at him softly, leaning towards him and placing a small kiss on his lips. She pulled away, her fingers tracing his lips where her mouth had been. "Lucas, we're just here together having fun…don't worry."

-----

Three weeks later, Brooke and Chae were moving into their new apartment. A week after their break up, Brooke had gotten all of her things out of Kade's, with the help of Chae. They were now moving all of their things out of Chae's old apartment and into their new one that was in the same building, just two floors down.

Brooke had talked Lucas into helping, and Chae had got some guy, Spencer, that she had been dating on and off to come and help too.

Brooke was in her new bedroom hanging clothes in the small walk-in closet when Lucas came in.

"Hey" he said breathless, leaning against the door to her closet as he wiped sweat off of his forehead. "We just brought that new couch up that you guys bought, it was a pain getting it through the door…"

"Good job," Brooke smiled, turning around to face him.

"We were wondering where you went, we haven't seen you for like a half hour" Lucas told her, "I thought you were supposed to help move?" He asked, giving her a sly smile.

Brooke just pursed her lips and squinted her eyes; she nodded her head, "Yeah, that's just not really my thing."

"Oh really," Lucas said with a laugh, reaching an arm out and pulling Brooke towards him, making her giggle. "Is this your thing?" He asked, his lips crashing down on hers.

She started to wiggle, pulling away from Lucas. "_Luke_" she whined, "You're all sweaty!" She said, as she wriggled out of his arms.

"Oh yeah" he chuckled, knowing he was getting a rise out of the brunette. "So we've got everything moved in now, we just need to set up your bed."

"Good" Brooke smiled, tapping him on the chest. "Where is Chae?"

Lucas shook his head, "I'm not sure, after we got the couch moved in her and Spencer disappeared."

"Hmm" she smiled, reaching for the bottom of his shirt, "Maybe you should take this off…" she suggested, pulling playfully at the bottom of it. "I mean, it's all sweaty and dirty, and I'm sure it's hot" she told him nodding her head as he smiled. She pulled the shirt up his chest, and pulled it over his head. She grinned as she took in the site of him, running a finger down his body.

"Brooke-" he started, reaching his arms around her waist.

"Now…" she said seductively, looking into his eyes as she ran her finger along the top of his basketball shorts. "You can start on setting up my bed" she told him, her sexy voice leaving to be replaced by a giggle and a shove on the chest.

-----

Brooke and Chae decided to order pizza to feed the guys and thank them for their help. They sat on the floor in front of the TV and ate the pizza straight from the box.

"So we're sitting there eating" Brooke continued the story she was telling, holding a piece of pizza in one hand and moving her other hand around as she talked, "And he really _couldn't_ use the chopsticks!" She paused momentarily to laugh, Chae was already erupting in a fit of giggles while Lucas' face turned a light shade of pink, "And as he was using them, he actually flung one of them clear across the room!" She giggled, resting her free hand down on Lucas' thigh.

"I told you I couldn't use them" Lucas said, defending himself as he threw his hands up in the air.

"Lucas, _everyone_ can use chopsticks" Chae said, rolling her eyes at him with a laugh.

Spencer looked around nervously, "Yeah" he said shaking his head, "I never had a knack for them either!" he admitted, receiving a knowing look from Lucas.

"See Brooke, I told you it was normal" Lucas told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her towards him, causing her to fall over onto his lap.

"You two are so _not_ normal!" Brooke laughed, Chae nodding her head vigorously in agreement.

They finished eating and Brooke and Chae cleaned up the mess. They watched TV for awhile, Chae curled up in Spencer's arms, and Brooke resting against Lucas. Brooke was surprised to see Chae and Spencer together; she seemed to actually like him.

Lucas rubbed his hand down Brooke's arm, "Hey" he whispered into her ear, causing her to look up at him. "I better get going…"

Brooke nodded. She knew that he had to leave, but that didn't mean she wanted him to. She stood up with him.

"Thanks for helping today, it was nice to meet you" Lucas said to Spencer.

"Yeah, good to meet you too." Spencer said, knocking his fist with Lucas. "I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."

Lucas nodded, and Chae stood up, throwing her arms around Luke's neck. "Thanks for helping!" She told him as he hugged her back.

"No problem" he smiled, watching as Chae settled back down next to Spencer. "See you guys later" he said with a wave. Brooke grabbed his other hand leading him towards the door.

They stood against the door, Lucas pulling Brooke into his arms.

"Do you have to go?" Brooke asked quietly, her head resting on his chest.

He ran his hands up and down her back, leaning his head into her hair. "Yeah," he said lightly, "I wish I didn't have to-"

"But Peyton…"

"Yeah" Lucas said quietly, wishing things were different. "But I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Okay" Brooke said, lifting her head away from Lucas and giving him a small smile. He leaned down, and kissed her quickly. They said their goodbyes and Lucas left.

Brooke went back into the living room where Chae and Spencer were making out on the couch.

"I'm just gonna go to bed" Brooke said with a laugh, deciding they needed to be alone. She went into her room and lay down on her big bed.

-----

Lucas walked into his and Peyton's apartment, throwing his keys on the table. It was just after 8pm and he figured she would be home soon. He walked into the kitchen, pulling the fridge open and looking around. He found a beer and opened it, taking it with him into the living room where he sat on the large couch, resting his feet on the coffee table.

He turned on the TV and started flipping through the channels when he heard Peyton come in from the bedroom.

"You're home" she said, sitting down on a chair next to the couch. Lucas nodded, taking a drink from his beer. She reached towards the television, turning it off.

"Hey!" he shouted, sitting up as she turned the TV off. "What are you doing?"

She sat on the chair quietly for a minute, lacing her fingers together. "We need to talk Lucas."

He raised his eyebrows, "About?"

She was sitting there, a knowing smile spread across her face. She was wearing a large sweater and big sweatpants, her feet tucked underneath her on the chair. "Hmm, where should we start?" She asked with a small chuckle. She shook her head, causing her tight blonde curls to move slightly. Lucas opened his eyes wider, waiting for her to continue. She had obviously had a little too much to drink today.

"Peyton, cut the crap." Lucas told her, shaking his head. "What do you want?"

She ignored him, the creepy smile forming on her lips again. "Lets see…how about we start with you are a bastard…yeah…that's a good place to start" she told him with a nod.

"I don't know what you're talking about" he laughed, bringing a hand up to his head. He couldn't believe he came home for _this_. She could be such a bitch.

She left the room, coming back holding a large manila envelope. She threw it down at the coffee table. "Here," she told him smugly, taking her seat again on the chair.

He looked up at her skeptically before reaching towards the table and picking up the envelope. "What's this?"

"Just have a look inside" She said, the sly smile on her face once more. She really was enjoying torturing him wasn't she?

He slowly opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of pictures. The top one was a picture of him and Peyton from their wedding. And what a joke that was. "Yeah, so?" he said, glaring at her as he threw the stack of pictures down on the table.

"I know you are sleeping with her" Peyton said, her voice turning serious. Lucas rolled his eyes at her. "Lucas, don't lie. Does the name Brooke Davis ring a bell?" Peyton said, standing up and pacing in front of Lucas as she tapped her finger tips together. "Or what about Kade's girlfriend? Maybe that'll trigger your memory."

"You've lost it" Lucas said with a laugh, "You are seriously crazy."

"Yeah, and you are a cheating, lying bastard" She said smugly. She pointed her finger to the stack of pictures, "Look through them Luke. Just look" she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

He shook his head and lifted up the stack of pictures. The first few were from his and Peyton's wedding, and then there were a few of Brooke and Kade at the last party the basketball team had had. When he reached the third type of picture, he knew what she was talking about. There were pictures of him and Brooke together. There were some of him kissing her and one when he was holding her had while she smiled up at him. As he continued looking through the pictures he saw some from when he picked her up from the airport and from when they were together in the hot tub at the hotel. There were a few even going back to when he first hung out with her, pictures showing him entering Kade's apartment building.

Lucas shook his head, throwing the stack of pictures back onto the table. "How?"

"I'm not stupid Lucas." She told him, settling back down into the chair. "I hired an investigator. I mean, you were _happy_ all of the sudden, I knew something was going on…then you were never home."

"God, you are unbelievable." He said, shaking his head.

"I'm not surprised you went after her," Peyton told him. She didn't seem very upset about it at all. "I mean, go for it, be with the little slut, I don't mind."

"Don't call her that" Lucas warned, narrowing his eyes at Peyton.

"Well that's obviously what she is" Peyton laughed.

Lucas stood up and walked to the kitchen, gathering up his keys and jacket.

"Where are you going?" She asked, following him towards the door. "I mean, it would be a shame if these pictures got out. Kade for one would beat the shit out of you and probably her too…"

"They broke up" Lucas told her through gritted teeth.

Peyton laughed, "Yeah, but you were _his_ _friend_, screwing _his_ _girl_ behind _his_ _back_. I don't think he'll be very forgiving." She lifted a finger up to her chin as if in thought. "And then there's your career…it's not going to look good, especially when I'm playing the torn apart-heart broken wife." She said, poking out her bottom lip in a mock pout. Lucas set his keys down. "And you'll be paying me alimony for god knows how long…" She told him, her lips curling upwards. "Be with her, I don't care. But I suggest you don't screw this _marriage_ up."

"You really are a bitch" he told her before he grabbed his keys and stormed out of the apartment.

* * *

**A/N: Alright...there ya go! Did you guys see that one coming?? Hmmm...Well update and let me know, then I will update...whatever, you guys know how it works by now :)**

**...Thank Yous...**

**dolcegrazia- First off, way to go being the first to review :) that's just awesome. Thank you for your review! I'm glad that you were okay with the breakup...I was sort of worried about it so I'm glad you thought it was okay. I hope you liked this chapter as well!**

**othfan326- I'm _so_ glad that you recognized the part about Brooke being sad (but also happy) that the relationship was over with Kade. I'm glad you noticed that part, because I was hoping that everyone would. As you said it was a big part of her life. I love how you think about everything that is said in the chapters, because it gives you better insight on what is going on in the story. I seriously love your reviews...so keep them coming :)**

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- hahaaha what are we gonna do about Peyton? I don't know, but someone needs to stop the curly haired witch, haha! I love your reviews, that one totally made me smile.**

**LoVeBrucas- I know you are looking forward to the Brucas Baby, and trust me, it is coming soooon. I enjoyed reading your review...you are noticing all of the little slips in there, and I think you have a pretty good insight on what is happening :) I hope you liked this chapter!**

**courtneylovejason- Yeah, what you said...the problem is Lucas is married to Peyton...makes things a lot harder. Brooke breaking up with Kade was just getting over one speed bumb in the road, obviously you noticed that haha. Thanks for reviewing, hope to hear from you again :)**

**Jem (flipflopgal)- I'm sooo glad you liked that chapter. I'm also relieved that you thought that the breakup was realistic, because that was worrying me! Thanks for always reviewing. Loooovee!**

**Brucas2006- Your review totally made me laugh. I loved it. Just reading it again made me laugh. hahaha. I totally agree with you...Peyton is a skanky and she needs to peace out! The poor people of One Tree Hill...so far from perfection. I am on my way to check out your stories...so be expecting reviews from me soon :) Thank you for always reviewing, I seriously love you! haha.**

**sweetchristie03- I'm glad that you liked the last chapter. The breakup was definitely coming, and it's finally over between the two. Thank you for reviewing, I love to hear what you think :)**

**chebelle- I always look forward to your reviews! I seriously love them, because reading that you are happy makes meeee happy! I'm so glad that you thought the breakup was realistic...phew! Hope to hear from you again soon and thanks again for reviewing :)**

**brucas224- Welcome to my story! I'm so glad you found it and got all caught up. I'm also glad that you are loving the brucas and Chae! Thank you for reviewing and I hope to hear from you soon!!**

**reina123- hhaha your review totally made me smile. Just cuz you were so happy with the chapter :) thank you...**

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- first of all, I love your name on here, cuz its true...Brucas does equal love...deeerrrr! Hahaha! Thank you for your review. It totally mad me laugh, mostly cuz Peyton is a hoe of a wife. hehehe. love you!**

**IamCaroline- thank you for your honest review. I was kind of wondering if Kade was being too nice, and I'm glad that you pointed it out. But as you said, he can't be an ass all the time...but I have a feeling he'll be back lol. Thanks for your review :)**

**Katherine- Well, well. As you know, I love your reviews and I seriously look forward to reading each ones!! I am glad that you liked the Brucas scene at the beginning, I think you are the only one that actually mentioned it in a review...even though it was short, it was still cute! Soooo, I if you want to, I reaaaally want you to read over a coming up chapter just cause I'm not so sure about it, and you always have great advice. What do ya think? You are seriously the best. love, love, love!!!**

**BrOoKe DaViS23- Aww, I'm so glad you look forward to updates of my story. That makes me happy. Know what else makes me happy?? Your reviews. haha. No but I'm being serious...I hope you liked this chapter, and Brucas Baby is coming sooooon... :))**

**austingirl76, Sekre, dancefever0234, brucas333- Thank you guys for your reviews! I'm glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope you liked this one just as much!! Thank you for reveiwing, I love you guys!! **

**P.S. I love you all- XOXOXLindsay**


	13. Behind These Hazel Eyes

**A/N: Okay, so the song in this chapter is It's Only Life by Kate Voegel. I like this song, and figured I might as well use it since its one of hers and she's on the show! So I just have to tell you, I was talking to my friend just barely and we were in some heated argument cuz she loves Pucas (thumbs down) and she is obsessed with Peyton...lets just say Peyton isn't my favorite character...anyways, by the end of the conversation she threatened that she would turn me into a Pucas lover, and I just thought it was humorous, yeah...like I'm going to ever like Pucas...not gonna happen! heheh! Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter, tell me what you think about it...thank you's are at the end :) XOXOXLindsay**_

* * *

_

_Tears are forming in your eyes_

_A__ storm is warning in the skies_

_The__ end of the world it seems_

_You bend __down and you fall on your knees_

**Chapter Thirteen-**** Behind These Hazel Eyes**

Brooke and Chae had been living in their new apartment for almost a week now. They were getting settled and having a great time. They stayed up late talking and watching movies, and Chae usually brought some guys home as a bonus. Not that Brooke enjoyed it; she hadn't even seen Lucas since he had helped her move into the apartment _five_ days ago. What made it even worse was that every time they had talked it was cut short and Lucas seemed really distant. Brooke wasn't sure what to think. It was like ever since she had broken up with Kade he just changed.

Brooke walked into the apartment, dropping a couple bags on the ground from the grocery store. She had been feeling sick for the past week, and it was getting on her nerves. She figured it must have just been stress. The stress from moving, breaking up with Kade, and Lucas acting all weird.

"Hey Roomie" Chae said, skipping into the room and hitting Brooke on the butt with the magazine she had been reading. "What's up? Did you go grocery shopping?"

Brooke picked one of the bags up from the ground and started emptying out its contents, putting them away in their correct places. "What tipped ya off?" Brooke asked with a laugh.

Chae stuck her tongue out at Brooke, "Anyways, what's with all the fruit?"

"Just thought I should be eating healthy," Brooke shrugged, placing some strawberries into the fridge. She picked up the next bag, and started emptying it until she came to one last item that she stared at nervously before shoving it into her purse.

Chae drummed her fingers on the countertop, watching as Brooke put away groceries. "What's going on? You are being _really_ quiet…"

Brooke stopped what she was doing, setting the grocery bag on the counter when she looked up at Chae. "I'm just stressed," Brooke said with a shrug.

Chae thought about this for a minute, thinking about how strained Brooke's face was when she said that it was only stress. "I don't know Brooke." Chae said, her words coming out in a loud whisper. "You haven't seen Lucas all week…"

"God, rub it in!" Brooke said, exhaling deeply as she threw her arms in the air. She threw the bag on the ground and stormed off into her room. She fell down on her bed, covering her eyes with a pillow as she began to cry. She hadn't been in there for very long when she heard her door creep open and Chae snuck in, climbing next to her on the bed.

"I'm sorry" Chae whispered, her head lying on the pillow next to Brookes. She reached over, slowly grazing her fingers down Brooke's arm. "When you're ready to talk I'm here…"

Brooke lifted the pillow away from her face, dropping it on the bed next to her. She harshly wiped at the tears that were staining her cheeks and turned to face Chae. "I just don't know what to do" she breathed out, her voice shaky and her eyes watering.

"Just tell me what's going on and we'll figure it out" Chae told her, trying to reassure her friend.

"Well," Brooke sniffled, "It's just Lucas has been acting really weird lately, and I haven't seen him since he helped move us in, and he's just not being himself. I know that I shouldn't get attached to him, I mean why would I? But the thing is I'm late…"

Chae squinted her eyes, "Late for what?"

Brooke let out a small laugh, covering her eyes with her hands as a fresh set of tears spilled out of them. "I'm _late_…"

Chae shot up, now sitting on the bed, her legs crossed. "Oh my god, Brooke."

Brooke sat up, new tears continuously rolling down her pink cheeks. "I know" She cried, leaning her head against Chae's shoulder.

Chae ran her fingers through Brooke's hair while her friend cried. "It's gonna be okay. Have you taken a test?"

Brooke lifted her head, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "No" she sniffled, "But I got one today, it's in my purse."

Chae nodded, "Right," she hopped off the bed walking towards the door.

"Wait!" Brooke shouted holding up her hands, "Where are you going?"

"Well missy, I'm gonna go get that test, you are gonna take it and then we are going to figure out what to do" Chae told her before leaving the room.

A few minutes later Brooke and Chae were sitting on the floor against the wall outside of the bathroom. Chae had gotten a carton of Rainbow Sherbet out of the freezer, deciding it was best they eat their worries away.

"This was a good idea" Brooke admitted, digging her spoon into the frozen treat.

"Mmhmm" Chae nodded, pointing her empty spoon towards Brooke. She swallowed what was left in her mouth, "How many more minutes?"

Brooke sighed, setting her spoon down into the half-eaten carton. "I don't know" she said as she stood up walking into the kitchen. "Two minutes" she called to Chae.

"That was fast" Chae mumbled, standing up and meeting Brooke in the kitchen.

By the time they put the Sherbet away and placed their spoons in the dishwasher it was time to find out the results…

"I think it's time Brookie" Chae said softly, leaning against the counter in the kitchen.

Brooke reached out her hand, "Come with me?"

"Duh" Chae laughed, placing her hand in Brookes.

"Okay" Brooke sighed as they walked into the bathroom. She reached down for the stick, "Let's get this over with…"

Chae nodded, and Brooke closed her eyes as she lifted up the stick. "Uh, Brooke" Chae giggled, "You should probably read it with your eyes open!"

"Oh, yeah" Brooke said, shaking her head and opening her eyes. She flipped the stick over, and immediately began scanning the small screen that gave the results to the rest of her life…

Chae gasped, her hand immediately flying up to her mouth.

"Two lines…" was all Brooke said before dropping the stick to the floor and collapsing into Chae's arms.

-----

"What am I gonna do?" Brooke asked, lying in her bed with Chae.

"I guess you just gotta talk to Lucas" Chae said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I guess that would be the next step…I mean if he was actually _talking_ to me" Brooke scoffed.

Brooke ran her hands through her hair, looking over at the clock next to her bed. It was almost midnight. It had been 5 hours, and 17 minutes since she found out that she was _having_ a baby. That she was _going_ to be a mother. A _single_ mother.

"You're just lucky that it's Luke's and not Kade's" Chae laughed, "Could you imagine that nightmare!" Chae giggled, shaking her head at the thought of Brooke being stuck with Kade. "Wait a minute…it _is_ Luke's right?"

Brooke reached her hand up, slapping Chae on the arm, "Yes its Luke's. Geez! I haven't had sex with Kade for months! I'm pretty sure the last time I slept with him was the night I decided to give him a second chance and _not_ talk to Lucas."

"Yeah, that lasted a few days" Chae laughed, remembering when Brooke and Lucas hastily reunited in the bathroom of his coaches house and how she had to come to Brooke's rescue. She was torn away from her thoughts as she received yet another smack from Brooke. "Okay _violent_ _girl_, that has _got_ to stop, I mean you're having a baby!"

"Oh, shut your trap" Brooke giggled as Chae glared at her while rubbing her arm. "So I should probably go to the doctor tomorrow huh?"

"That would probably be for the best." Chae agreed.

-----

Brooke and Chae walked through the long, sterilized halls of the hospital. Their arms were linked together and their heels clacked on the white linoleum. They walked to the receptionist, and Brooke let her know that she had arrived. They had made the appointment earlier that morning, surprised they got in that day.

Brooke and Chae walked towards the rows of chairs in the waiting area and each sat down. Instead of grabbing the latest issue of Parenting Magazine, Brooke reached for the new Cosmo and Chae grabbed Us Weekly. They hadn't even noticed all of the stares they were getting from the very pregnant ladies surrounding them.

"Brooke Davis" a young lady called, standing in a doorway as she held a clipboard.

Brooke stood up, looking down at Chae, "Come on!" she ordered through gritted teeth, causing Chae to jump up and follow Brooke.

"Hi Brooke," The girl said, she had a pen behind her ear and small silver-framed glasses tucked in the pocket of her shirt. "Right this way, Dr. Adams will be with you in a moment."

"Thanks" Brooke smiled, not caring that it came out a little forced.

Chae sat in a chair in a corner of the room and Brooke sat on top of the table that was covered with a long sheet of white paper.

"I hate doctors offices" Brooke groaned as she wiggled around, causing the paper to make a crinkling sound.

"Tell me about it" Chae replied, rolling her eyes.

After a few minutes a tall man with shiny silver hair entered the room. He had on a long white jacket over his green scrubs and there was a stethoscope hanging around his neck. _How typical_, Brooke thought as she watched him enter.

"Hello" he said, glancing down at the clipboard he was holding. "I am Dr. Adams. How are you today Miss Davis?" He asked, reaching a hand out to her.

She grabbed his hand, shaking it lightly. "I'm okay" she nodded, giving him a small nervous smile.

"So, what can I do for you today? It says here that you think you may be pregnant?" He asked, reading from her chart.

"Yeah," Brooke said softly, moving around on the table. "I just need to find out for sure. I took a home pregnancy test and it came out positive, so I figured this would be the next step.

"Okay, well what we are going to do is we'll give you a pregnancy test, and then I'm going to feel your abdomen, see if I can get a feel of what is going on. The test results are pretty quick, and after we get them we will go from there. How does that sound?" He asked, giving Brooke a reassuring smile that _almost_ made her feel better about being there.

"That sounds great" Brooke nodded, smiling back at the doctor.

-----

"Alright, Miss Davis" The doctor said, reentering the room. "The results did come back **positive**."

Brooke nodded, and Chae scooted her chair closer to Brooke once she saw her face turn a shade whiter. Chae reached out and grabbed Brooke's hand. _Positive_, the word kept running through Brooke's head over and over again.

"Now," Dr. Adams continued, rolling closer to her on the chair he was sitting on. "I have gathered up a few pamphlets for you," he told her, handing her a neat stack of pamphlets and papers. "We need to discuss your options. You probably already know that you have a few different choices, each of these pamphlets will explain them-"

"I'm _keeping_ this baby" Brooke said confidently, cutting the doctor off. "I don't need to think about it _or_ hear my options. I'm keeping _my_ baby."

Chae turned to Brooke, winking at her and smiling, knowing that Brooke had made the right choice.

"That's good to hear Miss Davis" Dr. Adams smiled, obviously proud of the young girl that had come in so scared. "In that case," he said, reaching towards his pocket for a white pad of paper, scrawling something illegible on it. "I'm going to write you a prescription for some Pre-Natal Vitamins, you'll need to take this everyday, and they will be good for you as well as your baby." He told her, handing her the slip of paper. "Now I'm just going to need you to schedule another appointment for next month, then we'll be able to do an ultrasound and find the baby's heartbeat."

"Okay, thank you" Brooke said, slowly stepping off of the long table.

"I'll see you in a month" he told her, shaking her hand.

"Oh, Dr. Adams" Brooke called as he was about to leave the room.

"Yes?" he said, turning back around.

"Could you tell how far along I am?" She asked shyly, adjusting her purse on her shoulder as Chae stood next to her, waiting to hear the information.

"Oh yeah," he said, lifting Brooke's chart back up and reading it. "It looks like you are just over a month along."

"Thank you" She smiled. He nodded and left the room.

**A month.** A _month_ ago, she recalled, she was arriving back from Tree Hill. A _month_ ago her and Lucas spent a wild night in a hotel's hot tub, a hotel that she couldn't even remember the name. A _month_ ago, her and Lucas hadn't slept at all that night. A _month_ ago, neither her nor Lucas had any condoms handy…leaving their fate to what they _hoped_ would be good luck. A _month_ ago, her and Lucas had unconsciously made a decision that would change their lives forever. **A month.** A _month_ ago, yet she remembered that night as if it were yesterday…

-----

"Okay, you are really having a baby" Chae said, dropping her purse onto the table.

"Crazy huh" Brooke said shaking her head. "It's like not even real yet…"

Chae nodded. "So, when are you gonna talk to Luke?"

Brooke slumped down onto the couch, resting her hands on her still flat stomach. "I don't know."

Chae frowned at the sadness that was evident in Brooke's voice. She walked over and sat down next to Brooke, laying her head on Brooke's shoulder. She placed her hand on top of one of Brooke's. "It's gonna be okay" she whispered.

-----

"Hey Luke, It's me…Brooke. I think we need to talk. Meet me at my place around 8? If you can't, call me and let me know, otherwise I'll see you tonight."

She flipped her phone shut, placing it next to her on her bed. She knew it was a pretty risky move leaving him a voicemail like that, but she needed to talk to him and it was worth the risk.

"Oh hey" Chae said casually, walking into Brooke's room and jumping up onto the bed.

Brooke laughed, "Holler" she replied, flicking Chae on the forehead.

"Way to be tough Brookie" Chae giggled pushing Brooke's hand away from her head before Brooke flicked her again. "So, did you call Luke or what?"

"Yeah" Brooke sighed, looking down at the pillow she was holding on her lap.

"And?"

"He didn't answer, so I left him a voicemail. Hopefully he'll come over later so we can talk." Brooke sighed, leaning back into the mounds of pillows and blankets on her bed.

-----

"Are you watching this for reals?" Brooke asked, signaling her hand towards the TV as she walked into the living room and sat down on the couch next to Chae.

"Uh…yeah" Chae said, raising her eyebrows at Brooke.

"You are like obsessed" Brooke sighed, shaking her head.

"So I like American Idol? Sue me!" Chae said seriously, glaring at Brooke.

Brooke laughed, "You are seriously nutso!"

Chae furrowed her eyebrows, "Shhh" she demanded looking towards Brooke. "Simon's talking, he is _so_ hot!"

Brooke laughed and reached over, grabbing some popcorn out of the bowl Chae was holding. She looked over at the clock, it was almost 8…Luke hadn't called her back so she hoped that meant he was planning on coming. She didn't know what she would do if he didn't come…

Brooke tugged on her ponytail that was tight against her head. Maybe she should have dressed up for this a little more, I mean she was about to tell this guy who wasn't even her boyfriend that he was going to be a dad in 8 months. She shook the thoughts out of her head as she heard a knock on the door.

"I'll get it" Brooke said, standing from the couch. Chae waved her away with a hand, so into her TV show that she could care less what Brooke was doing.

Brooke looked through the peep hole in the door before slowly pulling it open, a small smile on her face.

"Hey" she said looking up into his ocean blue eyes.

"Hi" he smiled back at her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug.

"Come in" she told him as he released her from the hug.

As they walked through the entryway and past the living room Chae shot up from the couch, noticing Lucas.

"Oh, hey Luke" she said rushing past the two and over to the door. "I'm gonna run up to Lauren and Kayla's, I need to use their…their…uh the laptop" Chae shrugged, escaping out of the apartment as fast as she could.

Lucas turned to look at Brooke, confusion written all over his features. "What-" he started as Brooke began to laugh.

"I don't know" she laughed, shrugging her shoulders and shaking her head.

"So…" Lucas said, grabbing onto one of Brooke's hands.

She nodded, biting on her bottom lip. "Let's talk in the living room."

They got situated on the couch, sitting next to each other with only their legs touching.

"I haven't seen you for awhile" Brooke said softly, playing with her hands that were rested in her lap.

"I know, I'm sorry Brooke" Lucas said, reaching a hand out to touch one of hers. "I just have had a lot of things on my mind, and I needed to sort them all out, that's all…"

Brooke shrugged softly, "I just needed to hear your voice…" she confessed, looking down at her hands.

Lucas reached his free hand up and moved her bangs out of her eyes, "Pretty Girl…" he started, hearing the sadness in her voice. She looked up at him nervously, her eyes seeming to stare into his soul. He cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand, moving his thumb gently on her porcelain skin. He slowly lowered his mouth towards hers, their lips finally brushing against each other.

"Luke" she moaned quietly, trying to push him away. He kept his lips on hers until she slowly started to give into him to him and their kiss.

Brooke seemed to lose herself in his kiss. "We really need to talk" she told him as she peeled her lips off of his. She figured that stopping that kiss was the second hardest thing she would do tonight, the first having to do with a certain 'Brucas Baby' as Chae liked to refer to it.

Lucas groaned slightly, running his fingers down her face. "I know." He said.

He had a look on his face that Brooke couldn't read. It was almost as if _he_ was the one with the bad news, when certainly she knew it was _her_ with the bad news.

She was confused by the way he kept staring at her, and how he was cautiously touching her face, her hand, or her knee. He was definitely off tonight, that was for sure.

"What's going on?" Brooke asked, looking up at him with nervous eyes.

"Peyton found out…"

"Found out?" Brooke asked, scrunching up her face.

"She knows about us Brooke" Lucas told her, he shook his head, bringing a hand up to it. "It just sucks. It's like she's got me on this leash and I can't get away from her."

"How?" Brooke asked, "I mean, we were careful."

"I thought so too. But she hired a private investigator" Lucas said, chuckling at the idea.

"Wow. So what does this mean?" Brooke asked, biting on her lip.

"It means I can't screw up with her" Lucas said blankly.

"Well if she knows, then why don't you just end it Lucas?" Brooke asked him, his hand still clasped over hers.

"I can't" Lucas said, shaking his head. "She'll ruin my life...my life will be over."

Brooke pulled her hand away from his quickly, hurt apparent in her eyes. "Are you serious Lucas?" She asked, raising her voice, "God, you don't even love her!"

"I know, I know. But that doesn't mean we have to stop seeing each other…" he told Brooke, reaching for her hand which she pulled away from him again, resting it against her chest.

"So what, you can have the best of both worlds?" Brooke asked, bitterness spitting out of her mouth with each word.

"No, Brooke-"

"Maybe you should think about _other_ people Lucas, stop giving a shit about what she says to you…" She said, glaring towards the blonde boy sitting next to her.

He looked up at her, obviously confused by her sudden anger. He didn't even know what to say to her… "I thought we were just keeping this casual…" he finally said, his voice low, dragging out each word.

"_Casual_?" Brooke yelled, standing up from the couch and practically jumping away from him. "Casual?" She repeated once more, this time a throaty yet irritated laugh escaping from her mouth. "God damn it Lucas!" She yelled, stepping backwards slowly, trying to get away from his reaching hands. "I'm pregnant!" she shouted, "That _casual_ enough for you?" She said, throwing her hands up in the air. "Get the _hell_ out of my apartment. Now."

She stormed away from him and towards the door, making sure to grab his keys that were sitting on the counter.

"Brooke" Lucas started, when he finally reached her where she was standing holding the front door open.

"Leave" she told him, she could feel her eyes feeling up with wet, hot tears and she was not about to cry in front of him. No way in hell would she show him her tears.

"We need to talk about this" he said firmly, not moving an inch.

"I'm serious Lucas" she shouted, "Get the _hell_ out, and do it _now_" she warned, throwing his keys into his chest. He looked up to her, his eyes pleading with hers. She nodded angrily towards the door, and he finally took the hint, and _left_.

_Baby it's only life

* * *

_

**A/N: Alright everyone! I hope that you liked that chapter...hope being the keyword! Haha! Anyways, go on...review, and I'll update again. I'm working on Chapter 16 now, so hopefully I can get some writing done on my day off tomorrow so I can keep updating every other day...Here are the thank you's to all TWENTY-THREE of you who reviewed...I now know your reviewing potential so don't let me down haha.**

**...Thank Yous...**

**dolcegrazia- So you totally were the first to review again! haha! I love it! You seriously amaze me...I'm glad I shocked you with the whole Peyton thing...I thought it would be pretty shocking to most of you! Anyways, thanks for always reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter, even though it ends sorta sad! Make sure and tell me what you think...maybe you'll even be the first reviewer again...how awesome would that be?? XOXO!!**

**courtneylovejason- Okay, so I looooveed your review. Especially the first of it where you were explaining all the characters in a rambling sorta way cuz that is like totally how I am so I loved it! You are so cute!Yeah, I hate Peyt-hoe too! Seriously, she is just so easy to bash! And the ending, she was saying that he can be with Brooke all he wants but he better not divorce her or she'll ruin his life pretty much. Hope that mad sense! I look forward to your next review:))**

**bella- good to hear from you! You totally saw the Peyton up to no good signs! Way to go :) I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**LoVeBrucas- So I pretty much always LOVE your reviews, just so ya know!! I totally Punk'D you with the whole Peyton private investegator thing hahahaha! I hope you liked this chapter and I can't wait to hear from you again :)**

**reina123- Haha I don't like Peyton either...but you probably already guess that by now! hehe! Thanks for reviewing :**

**Jem (flipflopgal)- So I pretty much love to hear from you!! I'm glad you liked that last chapter, and I really hope you are okay with this one too! Make sure and tell me what you think 3**

**chebelle- Haha I love your reviews! Seriously!! I'm glad you get the whole Brooke being careful with her heart, cuz thats where I was going with that, and where I'm still going. Lucas really does need to make one of those speeches that we all LOVE him for! heheh! XOXOX**

**IamCaroline- Haha Peyton totally would hire an investegator...she's just a whore like that! I take my anger out on her totally in this story if you can't tell already! Hahaha. I love hearing from you though, seriously!**

**sweetchristie03- I am sooo glad you love the Chae/Brooke friendship, because I do too! And Peyton really is a B!tCh! Like serioussly...she is sooo not my favorite...ahahha! Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter...make sure and let me know what you thought, I love hearing from you!**

**othfan326- Soo, Brooke's job...yes that is a toughy. Right now she is just living off of her dad's credit card, buuuut in an upcoming chapter she does start working again which is good :) Thank you for reviewing, I love reading your reviews, they totally make me laugh! Thanks a million.**

**Brucas2006- Okay, so I will totally start reading the stories of yours that you suggested...probably tomorrow, I am really excited to read them! Like really excited! I need some good Brucas stories : I seriously love your reviews...Peyton should choke on her own curls...hahahahha whe I read that I seriously laughed for like at least 5 minutes...at least! hehehe! I seriously LOVE it! You are like my favorite hahaha!**

**austingirl76- The show is stupid...Peyton is no angel besides the angel of death really hahaha! You guys take the time to review my story, so I've decided to take the time to thank you all individually. You have NO idea how happy it makes me to know that you read and love my story! It is the reason I keep going! Thank you for your reviews, and if you have anymore questions feel free to ask or email me 3**

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- So I pretty much loved your little cheer at the end. Go Brucas Go Brucas, Ew Pucas Ew Pucas...hahahaha! I'm gonna start chanting that everytime Pucas comes on screen on the show. But seriously, even saying Pucas is gross...hehehe! I love your reviews, they totally make me laugh...LOVE it!!**

**brucas3- Welcome to the story, I am happy to have you! I'm glad you like how it is going...I hope you still do after this chapter!! Lucas really does need to give Peyton a taste of her own medicine! hheehehe!**

**BrOoKe DaViS23- Okay, so I am going to second the whole 'Peyton is a TrainWreck' thing, because she seriously is just a big fat mess! Like honestly, I swear she is like nutso! I'm glad we are on the same page with that hehehe!!**

**brucas224- Okay, so I LOVE the Jonas Brothers, and Brucas so I really want to watch your video!!! Is it on YouTube? I looked, and there were 3 Brucas videos to that song...so if thats where it is, what is your screen name on YouTube...I'd love to watch it! Thanks for always reviewing btw!**

**Brucas True Love- Heheh, I hate Peyton too! Team Peyton is losing hardcore, cause their captain is a whore...ahhaaha remember when Brooke says that in season 4. I don't know what just made me think of that, sooo random! And then she tells haley, yeah welcome to team brooke. hahahaha! **

**onetreehillgirl066- He does need to get rid of her...Thanks for the review...I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**Katherine- I decided to write your thank you last cuz there was just too much to say. haha. You are totally on the same page as me with the whole Lucas/Peyton/Private detective thing. It is totally hollywood, and I got the idea cuz it happened to my cousins best friend lol. And it just seemed like something Peyt-hoe would do just cuz she's manipulative like that! hehe! So your review totally had me laughing my head off, I'll just say that. Like honestly, I was having a laughing fit! Ohh, and the whole e-mail adress thing, it like isn't posting it in the reviews. So you should put like spaces in between the words or something or like in between the 'at' symbol and I'll just take out the spaces...Thanks for being so awesome all the time! Seriously, you are like my favorite...but I think you already knew that! hehe!**

**BrucasNaleyluvr- So can I just tell you I LOVED your review! You totally had me laughing...miss coke head, mr cheater...I love it!! Oh and the WWF comment, that totally cracked me up! It was just so casual sounding and funny!! You are too funny, I love it!! And I have to say sorry, cuz honestly Mono SUCKS! and so does the Flu! And you totally got hit with them both at the same time...no good, no good at all! I really hope you are feeling better...I hope me updating helped even a little :) **

**Brucas Equals Love- Hahaha I loved your review. I totally agree with you.. Peyton is such a two faced skank. Like honestly. Who needs her?? Not me... hehehe**

**lilohb- I'm glad you liked the last two chapters, I hope you enjoyed this one as well! Thanks for reviewing and make sure and tell me what you thought about this chapter!!**

**chasitybsp- Thank you for reviewing, and just so you know, you did inspire me to update again! haha! I hope you liked this chapter as well! Thanks agian.**

**Once again, thank you to all 23 of you!! XOXOXLindsay**


	14. Catch Me Now, I'm Falling

**A/N: Alright everyone! Here is the next chapter. The song is 'If you think I don't need you' by the one and only Elvis Presley!! Thank you's are at the end... enjoy :))

* * *

**

_If you think I don't need you_

_Then take a look in my eyes_

_Maybe these ain't raindrops_

_Falling out of the sky_

_Since you been gone_

_I've been so alone_

_If you think I don't need you_

_Then baby you're wrong_

**Chapter Fourteen- Catch Me Now, I'm Falling **

Brooke was laying on the couch, a box of half empty Kleenex's next to her and the remote to the TV clutched in her hand. There was a long line of tears streaming down her cheeks, "Liar!" she yelled at the TV, where a movie about a love story gone wrong was playing. She threw the remote towards the TV in attempt to hit the lying man on the screen, luckily, for her TV's sake, it fell just short of the TV, falling directly onto the ground.

Chae walked into the apartment, finding Brooke sniffling on the couch. "Okay, this is day three, and this has _got_ to stop" Chae told Brooke as she rested her hands on her hips and tapped her heeled foot. Brooke looked up at her, a sad yet mean look directed towards Chae. "Brooke, ever since you kicked Lucas out three days ago, you won't stop brooding. You are _not_ a brooder. Now get your ass up and into the shower, you look like shit."

Brooke mumbled something to Chae as she threw the tissue box on the ground and marched angrily towards the bathroom.

Brooke closed the bathroom door, looking at herself in the mirror. She had really let herself go this time. And for what? A stupid boy. She knew Chae was right; she had to get cleaned up and get her act together. So what if she was avoiding Lucas like the plague, she might as well be strong and well put together while she did so.

-----

"Aww, now there's my Brooke I know and love" Chae exclaimed, clapping her hands together as Brooke walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah, whatever" Brooke mumbled. She had showered and straightened her hair. She even dressed in something _other_ than sweats and applied a fresh coat of makeup to her very deserving face. "What are you doing?" Brooke asked, watching as Chae pulled out a large mixing bowl and a silver cookie sheet.

"Well Miss Brood-A-Lot, you are going to love me forever because I got something that will make you super happy" Chae grinned, feeling accomplished and quite proud of herself.

Brooke pulled herself onto one of the tall stools that was across the counter from Chae. "And what would that be?" She asked, intrigued with what Chae had conjured up.

"We are going to make sugar cookies!" She clapped, and grinned, obviously excited.

"I love sugar cookies" Brooke smiled.

"I know you do, and sugar cookies are happy. I'm sick of you being all broody," Chae grumbled, "I want my happy Brooke back so I can flick you!"

"Gee, I love you too" Brooke said sarcastically. She hopped off the stool and walked around the counter to help Chae make the cookies.

-----

There were cookies covering the counter by the time the two girls were finished. They were shaped as hearts, stars, teddy bears, gingerbread men and women, and Brooke's favorite, goldfish.

"Okay, this is seriously turning out to be the biggest mess!" Brooke laughed as she squeezed the food coloring bottle, watching as small drops of green fell into the bowl of frosting.

"Tell me about it" Chae laughed, stirring her frosting that turned out to be a dark purple.

"I am like so sticky" Brooke said, still laughing as she pushed aside her now green frosting. "Do you think we need anymore colors?" Brooke asked motioning to the bowls lining the edge of the counter.

"Hmm." Chae pondered. "Well, we have green, purple, blue, red, yellow, orange and pink. That should be enough right?"

"Yeah, I think we're good" Brooke agreed as she started to frost a heart cookie.

Chae looked around; noticing what could very well be a thousand cookies lining all of their kitchen counters. "This is going to take us forever" she groaned, setting down a cookie that she had finished frosting.

"Boo hoo" Brooke said, poking out her lip in a mock frown. "Cry about it Chae, seriously!" She said with a laugh, frosting her cookie and setting it down on the counter.

"Maybe I will" Chae said, shrugging her shoulders, setting down another frosted cookie.

Brooke smiled at her, before dipping her finger in the purple frosting and wiping it across Chae's cheek.

"Oh, you did _not_ just do that!" Chae said seriously as a challenging smile appeared on Brooke's face.

"Oh" Brooke said harshly, a smile playing across her lips, "I did."

"It's on" Chae warned, grabbing the bowel of red frosting and dipping her finger in it quickly and wiping it across Brooke's cheek.

Before they knew it, they were engaged in an all out frosting war. Both of their faces had stripes of almost all of the colors on it and they were sitting on the ground in the kitchen against the cupboards laughing.

"This is so not going to be fun to clean" Chae laughed, slumping back against the cupboards.

"It was fun while it lasted" Brooke laughed, looking at Chae who was a mess of frosting. She was almost glad they decided against a mirror in the kitchen because she didn't want to see the damage done on her face. "Hand me the red" Brooke told Chae, pointing towards the red frosting that was sitting next to Chae on the floor.

Chae looked at her confused, and handed her the bowl. Brooke reached a finger into the frosting, and Chae flinched, covering her face in fear of what Brooke would do with the frosting. When she didn't feel Brooke's finger come towards her, she uncovered her face and watched as Brooke applied the frosting to her lips as if it were lipstick.

"How do I look?" Brooke asked, pursing her lips together.

Chae started to laugh hysterically, "Oh god, hand me the blue" Chae laughed, following her lead and applying blue frosting to her lips.

"We need the camera," Brooke decided, jumping up from the ground and running out of the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later, camera in hand and they proceeded to take numerous self portraits of themselves.

They were both laughing when they heard a knock on the door.

"I'm not getting it" Chae said, holding her hands up in defeat.

"Well I'm not either!" Brooke said, folding her arms over her chest. "Rock, paper, scissors?" Brooke suggested, Chae nodded. "One, two, three."

"Paper covers rock, you go" Chae said with a laugh as she covered Brooke's fisted hand with her flat one.

Brooke stuck out her tongue, and walked towards the door. When she looked through the peephole all she saw was a back. It was a guys back, so she figured it was Spencer, and oh how funny would it be for him to see perfect little Chae covered in frosting.

She laughed as she opened the door. The guy turned around to face her, and her laughing stopped. Her face fell into shock as she stared up at the guy with his brown, curly locks of hair.

"Brooke?" He said, looking at her with a funny expression as he saw a rainbow of colors on her face.

"Jake" she sighed. Her lips slowly curved into a smile. "Jake!" she said again, this time with more enthusiasm as she jumped towards him, throwing her arms around his neck. "What are you doing here?"

He laughed, hugging the small brunette back, "Obviously I'm missing out on some fantastic war paint…"

"Who is it?" Chae called, walking out of the kitchen and into the entryway. She stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed a totally gorgeous guy standing next to Brooke, his hand on her waist.

"Oh, Jake" She said, looking up at the guy. "This is my roommate Chae, Chae this is Jake" she said introducing the two.

"Nice to meet you" Jake chuckled, reaching a hand out and shaking Chae's.

"You too" Chae grinned, trying not to drool while staring at the guy.

"Is it safe to ask what you two were doing before I got here?" Jake asked, laughing as he stared at the two girls, their faces covered in sticky colors.

"Making sugar cookies" Brooke smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

"Right" Jake laughed. "So, are you gonna invite me in or make me stand in the hall all day?"

-----

Brooke and Chae cleaned themselves up while Jake proudly took on the job of frosting the remaining cookies. They were now sitting in the living room, just talking. Chae had got bored and went into her room to do who knows what.

"So, why did you come Jakey?" Brooke asked, sitting next to him on the couch, her legs folded up under her.

Jake sighed, resting an arm around Brookes shoulder. "Honestly…I heard you broke up with Kade and thought you might need a friend from home." He told her, hoping she wouldn't react in a bad way. Truth is, he always cared about her. She was one of his best friends, and he just wanted her to be happy.

"Thanks Jake" Brooke replied happily, leaning into Jake's arm. "I'm okay though, promise." She told him, looking up to give him a reassuring smile. "I mean, Kade was kind of an ass." She chuckled.

Jake tightened his hold around Brooke. "I never liked him Brooke. I always had a bad feeling about him."

Brooke giggled, pulling away from Jake so that she could see him better. "Probably because every time me and him _broke_ up, you and I _hooked_ up. He hated you, ya know?"

"Well, yeah. But I didn't like him either. He never treated you the way you deserved to be treated. I'm just glad you finally realized that. You're a stubborn girl Brooke Davis, and you had to realize it for yourself." He told her. She smiled and nodded, this guy knew her so well it was almost scary. "But hey, give me a little credit; it wasn't all just hooking up. We did actually did _date_ for what, a month, two months?"

"Uh, actually it was 2 months, 3 weeks and 6 days" Brooke said, raising her eyebrows as she smacked him on the chest. "Geez Jakey boy, get it straight!"

"You really kept count?" Jake said, raising his hand to his mouth in attempt to hold in his laughter.

"So what if I did" Brooke pouted.

"Don't you give me that face Penelope" Jake warned, wiggling a finger around in front of her.

Brooke couldn't help but smile at the use of her middle name. Jake was the only one that called her by it, and he was the only one that was allowed to. Truth is, it drove her crazy when anyone _but_ Jake called her by her middle name.

Jake smiled, watching Brooke smile was contagious. His smile faded as a yawn escaped from his mouth.

"Are you tired?" Brooke asked, poking him on the arm. "You can't be tired, you just got here!"

"Sorry, I'm kind of lame" Jake laughed.

"It's okay, we'll have a _long_ day shopping tomorrow anyways so we _should_ get some sleep" Brooke giggled, knowing how much Jake hated shopping with her.

"Brooke" Jake groaned.

"Oh shut it, you'll live, and I'm just dying for some new shoes!" Brooke smiled. "Red shoes." She decided, her smile growing wider.

Jake shook his head, laughing at the brunette. "I'll sleep on the couch; do you have a blanket or something?"

Brooke raised her eyebrows at the boy, "Uh, I think you know me better than that."

"Right," Jake said, hitting his head at his own stupidity. "You are like the queen of blankets. You have more blankets than my grandma has knitted…which is a lot."

Brooke giggled, jumping up from the couch in search of blankets for Jake.

When she came back into the living room, he was sitting on the couch shirtless, only wearing a pair of big sweatpants.

Her breath caught in her throat when she caught sight of Jake sitting on her couch half naked. It was amazing he could still do that to her.

"Actually" Brooke said, dropping the blankets she was holding. "On second thought, my bed is _really_ big…you shouldn't have to sleep on the un-comfy couch."

"Are you sure?" Jake asked, standing from the couch.

"Yeah," Brooke smiled. "I'm sure."

-----

"Brooke Davis!" Chae said through gritted teeth as she walked into the kitchen where Brooke was drinking a glass of orange juice.

"Hmm?" Brooke responded, looking up from her glass. She set it down on the table and tightened the tie on her robe.

"Did you seriously sleep in the same bed as hott-Jake last night?" Chae asked quietly, leaning towards Brooke. She couldn't risk waking the boy up before she talked to her friend.

"Yeah, he's my _friend_ Chae" Brooke said slowly, enunciating each syllable in the word 'friend'.

"Yeah, your friend with history…wait; let me rephrase that, your hot ex-boyfriend. Yeah, that's better" Chae said, shooting Brooke a half smile, half glare. "Don't forget you are totally ga-ga over Lucas _and_ pregnant with Brucas Baby!"

"Chae" Brooke laughed, resting a hand on her friends shoulder. "Nothing happened. We just slept. Nothing is _going_ to happen between us. As you said, we are history. That's _all_."

"What's for breakfast?" Jake asked, walking into the kitchen as he ruffled his messy hair. He was still wearing no shirt, causing Chae to fall speechless and forget all about the conversation she was having with Brooke.

"Well, sleepy head" Brooke grinned, "You have your choice of oatmeal, cereal, or pop-tarts. Unless of course, _you_ were planning on making _us_ breakfast. In that case there is pancake mix in the cupboard, and eggs and bacon in the fridge" she said with a smile as she walked past him, patting him on the shoulder.

"Brooke, Brooke, Brooke. I like the way you think" Chae smiled, opening the fridge and pulling out some eggs. "The pans are there" she said, pointing to a cupboard, and leaving the kitchen so Jake could have his space while cooking.

"As you know, I like my eggs scrambled" Brooke hollered from the living room. "Call us when it's ready."

"Hey" Jake shouted out in defense. "I thought I was the guest here?"

-----

Brooke and Jake had a long day shopping all around New York City. They decided to get take out food and just go back to the apartment. Brooke's phone had been going crazy all day. Kade had tried to call her only once, which was good for him. Chae called a few times, just to see what they were doing because she was bored at work. And Brooke couldn't even count the number of times Lucas had called. It was just getting annoying really. She had finally gotten angry and turned off her phone, throwing it into her purse.

"Who has been calling you all day?" Jake asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

They had changed into pajamas and settled onto the couch to watch a movie. Chae was out with Spencer, so it was just those two there until she got home.

Brooke looked over at him, keeping her emotions in check. "It wasn't anyone important" she shrugged.

"Right" Jake said, raising his eyebrows. He knew there was something going on that Brooke wasn't telling him. He also knew that he wouldn't get any answers out of her unless she was willing to give them.

Brooke pushed play on the movie, signaling the end of their conversation.

"Hey Jake" Brooke whispered, poking him on the arm. "Jake!" she said, a little louder this time as her finger prodded his arm. He was ignoring her! She couldn't believe it. "Jaaake!"

He looked over at her, pressing pause on the remote he was holding. "Yes Brooke?" He asked, obviously getting irritated with the brunette. "You are quite possible the worst person to watch movies with, you can never just be quiet! I mean this is the third interruption and we aren't even half way through the movie…"

She giggled and batted her eyelashes at him, "If you go get me a Sunkist out of the fridge I promise I'll be quiet for the rest of the movie…"

"Really?" He asked, watching as Brooke smiled and nodded at him. He always gave in to her, he just couldn't say no to her no matter what. "Okay, but then you have to be quiet for the rest of the movie" He said, pointing a finger at her as she smiled up at him.

Once he left the room she snuggled into the blankets that were surrounding her on the couch.

Jake was in the kitchen, getting Brooke's drink and one for himself when he heard a knock on the door. He was waiting for Brooke to get up and answer it, but when she didn't he figured she just didn't want to get up. He walked over to the front door, still holding both of their soda cans. He opened the front door and saw a tall, blonde guy standing there.

"Uh, hey" the guy said nervously as he reached a hand up to his head and scratched it.

"Hi" Jake answered, waiting for the guy to tell him what he needed.

"You must be here with Chae I'm guessing?" Lucas said. He knew that Chae had guys over there randomly, and he never would've thought Brooke had a guy over. Not to mention a guy in pajamas over.

"Actually-" Jake started, getting cut off by the guy who seemed pretty impatient.

"I just need to talk to Brooke, is she here?"

"Jakey, what is taking you _so_ long" Brooke yelled from the living room, "If you don't come back in here I'm starting it with out you!!"

Lucas stared at the guy with a look of shock and confusion when he heard Brooke yelling. Neither of them knew what to say to each other at that point.

"I'm serious Jay" Brooke called, her voice growing closer until she appeared in the entry way. "I really wanna-" Her mouth dropped as she noticed Lucas standing there right in front of her and Jake. "Luke?"

"I'll just let you two be" Jake said cautiously, reaching for Brooke's hand and squeezing it as he walked past her.

"What's going on?" Lucas asked, motioning to Brooke. She was dressed in tiny shorts and a small tank top. That on top of a guy answering her door made things look, well, _bad_.

"Nothing" Brooke said, folding her arms in front of her. She was still mad at Lucas, and kind of happy that he thought something was going on between her and Jake. He deserved it after being a jerk.

Lucas ran his hand through his hair before stuffing it in his pocket. He looked down at his feet and then back up at Brooke. "Look, we need to talk. Can I come in?"

Brooke opened the door wider, and let him walk in past her. They walked into the living room, each taking a seat on the couch.

"You need to stop avoiding me Brooke" Lucas told her, watching her as she refused to look at him. "We need to talk about this…"

"About what?" Brooke asked smugly, looking anywhere but his eyes. Those eyes made her melt and she couldn't risk that, not now.

Lucas threw a hand up, "You know Brooke. The baby…" he told her, his voice growing more agitated by the second.

"Yeah. What about it? I'm pregnant and I'm keeping the baby" Brooke said, glaring towards the blonde. "But sadly, that just doesn't fit into your 'casual' idea!" Brooke told him with a mock frown, using finger quotes.

"I just need to ask" Lucas said, choosing to ignore her last comment. "Is it, I mean, are you sure its-"

"Yes Lucas, the baby is _yours_" Brooke said arrogantly.

"But-"

"A little over a month ago, right when I got back from Tree Hill…does that night ring a bell to you? Or did you forget since it was just so, _casual_?"

Lucas just stared at her, he was pretty much speechless.

"I hate you" She growled, punching her fisted hand into his chest. "I hate you…" she said again, her anger turning into tears as she kept hitting him, softer and softer each time.

Lucas wrapped his arms around her shaking frame, pulling her towards him as she cried. "Its okay" he whispered, running his hands through her silky hair.

"It's not okay" she sobbed into his chest, finally relaxing into his arms. "It's not…"

"I-I want" Lucas stuttered, holding Brooke tightly against him as she cried. "I want to be there for you Brooke. I want to be there for you _and_ the baby."

She didn't say anything, just cried into his arms until she started to feel a little better.

"You can't…" she told him as she peeled herself away from him. She wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"Brooke, I can" Lucas told her, grabbing onto both of her arms.

"No Lucas" she said, her sniffles winding down finally. "My baby is never gonna wonder if he or she is loved. My baby won't even have to question it. You know why? Because I am going to be the best Mom I can be…My baby won't question love like I did. I don't want my baby to have some half-ass dad. I'm sorry Lucas, but it's not a part time thing. It's just not." She stood up, waiting for him to follow. "So go back to that thing you call your life, because right now, you aren't ready to give yourself to me and this baby."

"Brooke-"

"Go" she told him, standing on her toes and pressing her lips lightly against his. She guided him towards the door and tried to pretend she didn't see the hurt in his eyes when he left. This was just something she had to do. She just couldn't risk the life she had as a kid for her baby, and letting Lucas in right now would be a risk. She shut the door and leaned against it, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Penelope?" Jake called, walking out of the bedroom and towards her. He saw that she had been crying, and he had heard her yelling. Put two and two together and he was concerned. She blinked her eyes open and he could see them filling with a fresh set of tears. "Come here" he told her softly, opening his arms and pulling her into them.

* * *

**A/N: Alrighty, there ya go people! Review and I'll update again :)**

**...Thank You's...**

**bella- You win for being the first to review!! Way to go! And yes...you were totally right about hot tub night. hehe. You are gooood...**

**Jem (flipflopgal): Well lets just say I'm excited cuz you are excited! Haha! Seriously though, I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I totally want Lucas to leave Peyton too...she is so bad news! hehe! I'm glad you are liking the story, it totally makes my life! Lol.**

**IamCaroline: Yeah, Chae is like Rachel! She's like Rachel/Haley/Brooke all mixed into one lol. Brucas baby is on the way!!! Thanks for sticking by this story!**

**BrucasNaleyLuvr: So, P.S. I love your reviews! Seriously, you need to get feeling better! No more Mono or flu, seriously, it's just not cool! Haha! Are you feeling better yet?? Dude, I look forward to your reviews everytime, I dunno why, but the way you talk/write in your reviews you just remind me of myself lol. If that makes sense?**

**othfan326: I agree...Lucas seriously does need to get his freaking act together! He just doesn't get it!!**

**dolcegrazia: Dang it! You weren't the first reviewer lol. That means I updated at a random time. It's like midnight where I am right now...and so you probably won't even read this right when I do, but its always fun when you update first lol. I'm so glad you caught the whole 'holler' thing cuz I always say that (I'm so not gangster...yes gangster not 'gangsta') haha, so I just thought it was kinda funny hahaha.**

**brucas3: I seriously love your take on things. Lucas' life will get better, even if to him it doesn't seem like it now. Way to go, awesome review!**

**chebelle: I totally loved your review. Like seriously I was totally laughing!! You just totally get it. If that makes sense. Yes Lucas, where is the speech!!! We need the speech lol. I'm still laughing at your review, you crack me up lol. In a good way of course!**

**Katherine: So pretty much, all I have to say to you is THANK YOU... I don't know if you'll read this, since you already read the chapter, so I'll be emailing you soon...probably tomorrow since its like 12:15 AM right now lol, hopefully I'll get some sleep tonight by the time I finish replying to all the reviews haha. But if you do read this, you are the bestest...thanks!!!**

**reina123: Aww I'm glad you loved that chapter. I really liked it too! You are sooo sweet! thanks so much!**

**chasitybsp: Seriously. Lucas is just sucking hard core right now! He really needs to get his priorities straight lol. I hope you liked this chapter...Don't hate me for it lol. It'll get better eventually...And yeah, this weeks show was seriously insane. I'm not gonna lie, I cried more than a few times lol.**

**austingirl76: Yeah, what you said, Lucas does need to grow a pair. hahahaaa. Oh boy. You are silly. Yeah, I'm glad it didnt focus on pucas too. Seeing them actually makes me wanna pucas in the toilet lol. sick.**

**courtneylovejason: Seriously, I don't think I could love your reviews more! Like you are just so funny, I love it!!!! Let's just say I agree with EVERYTHING you said in your review about how people portray Brooke...yeah. Seriously though, you like think the same way as me so its funny. You have no idea how happy it makes me that you loved that chapter and how everything played out in it. You are awesome, just in case you didn't know :)**

**Caaasssss (CheerandBrood323)- Its my Cass!! Okay, you are one of my very favorite people! Seriously, I just like love you! Oh man, you crack me up. First of all, your review, I totally loved it. The whole Peyton everything that you wrote...accidentally OD on crack...I agree, thats a fun scene right there. But I dunno if it could be an upgrade from the slow motion faces she made in 3.13...honestly, that was like true genius. HA! Sooo funny. I'm still laughing... Next item of business, so your PM...TOTALLY made my day. Like seriously. I LOVED the song! SO much! I'm still laughing about it. Stillll!!! Just so you know, it's like 12:20 am right now, and I'm getting this update out because of that PM...like seriously, I just love you lol.**

**LoVeBrucas: Haha. To put it simply, I loved your review. Like no joke. I loved it. You are so cute, like seriously I love reading your reviews, they make me so happy! I don't even know what else to say besides that lol.**

**Sekre: Hahaha. Yes, Lucas is a dummy. Lol well put, well put!**

**sweetchristie03: Aww, I'm so glad you are loving this story, like seriously it means a lot! You are so awesome to always review it. I'm glad you like Brooke and Chae's friendship. I like it just cause its a breath of fresh air! But thanks again for always reviewing :)**

**carebearxo8- You are so sweet! Thanks for that amazing review. We'll just have to wait and see what happens with Kade...lol. Thanks for your review though, it gives me a lot of motivation!**

**onetreehillgirl066- I'm glad that you are excited for Brucas Baby! I love that you call Peyton Peytwhore too...thats what I call her, cept i'm lazy and call her Peyt-hoe lol great minds think alike!!**

**Brucas True Love- I want Brucas back too. It'll get better eventually I swear. I hope you liked this chapter!**

**brucas333- Thats awesome you went skiing! Wanna hear a funny story?? I live in Utah, where we are pretty much known for our snow and moutains (hence the winter olympics being here in 2001) and I have never been skiing or snowboarding in my life lol. Crazy huh!**

**lilohb: Haha you are funny. I liked your way too...hahaha.**

**Saaarrraaaa (Brucas2006): Okay, so you have become one of my favorite people for obvious reasons. Lol. I'm sure you are getting sick of hearing from me, but dang it for you if you are. So that probably made no sense at all. Whatever! hahaa! I'm sooo glad you like the Chae/Brooke friendship, cuz some people seem to be getting sick of it (other people love it too) but anyways, I'm glad you like it cuz so do I lol! Obviously! So pretty much everything you said in your review is the way I was hoping people would react when they read it, so you win! Lol. I like that you ramble, cuz I do too...so really its okay! And I understand when people ramble, because I ramble, and I think people that ramble can just like understand eachother, okay so that probably made no sense! haha! So I'll stop now. Lol. I seriously love you lol.**

**I love you all! XOXOXLindsay**


	15. I Belong To Me

**A/N: Alright friends, here is the next chapter!! The song is 'I Belong To Me' by Jessica Simpson, this song obviously fits Brooke's character! So I hope you guys like this chapter, don't forget to review and tell me what you thought about it! Thank you's are at the end...**_

* * *

_

_It's not that I don't wanna share my life with you baby_

_It's just that I'm the one I need to be true to baby_

_And I won't give up me to be part of you_

**Chapter Fifteen- I Belong To Me**

"Uh Brooke" Chae laughed, walking into the living room with a vase full of Gerber daisies…Brooke's favorite.

"You have got to be kidding me" Brooke groaned as she looked up only to see yet _another_ vase full of flowers. It had been 2 weeks since she had pushed Lucas out of her apartment and out of her life. He obviously hadn't taken her seriously though, because every other day something was delivered to her door. She thought that he understood that she didn't want to talk to him, because his unanswered calls had stopped. But right when he stopped trying to talk to her, the 'gifts' started arriving at her door. There were vases of flowers lining the counters, and balloons filling the ceiling of the living room.

"These are gorgeous" Chae gushed, setting the flowers down on the coffee table.

"Eh" Brooke shrugged, scrunching her nose, "They're alright."

"Are you kidding me?" Chae laughed, running her finger along the flowers. "I really think you should just talk to him.

"Uh, no" Brooke said, radiating her feisty attitude. "They are guilt flowers. You don't see him leaving his 'wife' do you? No!" Brooke said, rolling her eyes. "Guilt flowers" she said once more, giving Chae a nod.

"You can be such a bitch" Chae laughed, shaking her head. Brooke shrugged her shoulders and returned her attention to the magazine she was flipping through. "When is Jake coming again?"

"Tomorrow" Brooke told her nonchalantly. Jake had left a few days after her mini Lucas breakdown, and he had vowed to come back as soon as he possibly could. He was worried about Brooke, and she knew he was. After she had explained everything that had happened since she came to New York, Jake was very understanding and didn't want her to feel alone.

"Well, that s good" Chae smiled. So what if she had a small crush on her roommates' hott friend, if anything he was just fun to look at…

"Maybe you two should go out?" Brooke suggested, a smile forming on her lips. "How did I not think of this before…" She said, jumping from the couch, growing more excited by the minute. "I mean how perfect would that be? Two of my best friends dating? And he is such a nice guy…"

"I don't know Brooke" Chae told her, fidgeting with the bracelet hanging on her wrist. "It would be weird."

"Why?" Brooke asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"For starters, you've slept with him" Chae said with a small, nervous laugh.

"And I totally give him a thumbs up in _that_ department" Brooke giggled, "Really, you should go for it!"

"I think he's still hung up on you Brooke…"

Brooke thought about it for a minute and then shook her head. "He's just really protective of me…he's like my brother" Brooke said, a smile growing on her face. "Yeah, just like my brother!"

Chae snorted out a laugh, "Yeah, your brother that you've slept with."

Brooke scrunched up her face and shook her head quickly, "Eww, okay gross Chae. Anyways, I really think it could be a good idea."

Chae stared at the flowers, running her fingers along the petals while she thought about what Brooke had said. "Okay, _I'll_ go out with Jake if _you_ talk to Lucas."

Brooke stuck out her bottom lip in a pout, "That is so not fair! I'm just trying to help you…"

"Yeah, and I'm trying to help you." Chae said, rolling her eyes at Brooke. "Talk to Lucas…you are pregnant with his baby in case you forgot."

Brooke watched as Chae finished talking and stopped messing with the vase of flowers. Once she had clearly made her point, she left the room without another word.

Brooke looked around her. There were flowers everywhere. She could lie and say she hated them, but if she was being honest then she'd admit she loved them. She just didn't know what to do. Her heart was telling her to let Lucas in, let him break down the walls that she had been building around for years. But on the other hand, her head was telling her not to take a chance of getting hurt. She did have a baby to think about too, and Lucas was married. She couldn't stand the thought of Lucas being married and her being his on the side girlfriend that he happened to have a kid with. That just wasn't okay with her. She just needed to know that Lucas was going to really be there for their baby in the long run.

-----

It was Friday afternoon and Chae was at work. Brooke was sitting at home, frustrated by the thought that if she was in her kitchen or living room, that no matter where she looked there was something that Lucas had sent. She sat on the couch, biting on her finger nail and staring at the flowers sitting on the coffee table. She was waiting for Jake to get there, and she decided if he didn't get there soon that she would be stuffing some flowers down the garbage disposal.

The door bell rang, and Brooke jumped up as fast as she could, running to the front door.

She threw the door open, a huge smile plastered on her face. She almost threw her arms around the guy standing in her doorway, until she realized it wasn't the curly haired brunette boy she had been anticipating. Her smile quickly faded into a scowl.

"Are you Brooke Davis?" The guy asked, looking down at a card that he was holding.

Brooke breathed in deeply, considering just slamming the door in the guys face. "Yeah, that's me" she said, her voice less than excited.

"This is for you" He told her, handing her something large that was wrapped in colored cellophane. She couldn't see what was inside, but it was sort of heavy. Heavy for flowers at least.

"Thanks" she mumbled, obviously unenthused with her arrival.

"Have a great day" the young guy smiled.

"Yeah, yeah" she said, pushing the door shut with her foot. She carried the large basket-cellophane wrapped _thing_ over to the kitchen table and left it there.

She took her spot on the couch again, moving around until she was comfortable. She stared at her newest arrival on the table and chewed on her fingernail. She hadn't been sitting there for long before her curiosity got the best of her and she jumped up, and slowly walked towards the table.

She reached for the top of the unidentified object and pulled at the cellophane, trying her hardest to unwrap it. When her fingers just weren't doing the job, she retrieved a pair of scissors from the kitchen and cut into the shiny covering. As she peeled off the different layers of colored cellophane she saw what appeared to be a fruit arrangement.

It wasn't your normal fruit arrangement, like a few oranges, apples and a pineapple thrown together and wrapped up. Nope. It was actually really cute. The fruit was cut into bite size pieces and on skewers. Whoever thought of this was genius. It looked like a flower arrangement of fruit. Even the pineapple was cut into flower shapes.

Brooke pulled a skewer out of the bunch, and turned the stick in her fingers. She started to eat the strawberry that was on top of the skewer when the doorbell rang again.

She walked to the door and opened it. "Jake!" she grinned, throwing an arm around him.

"Hey Brooke" Jake smiled, hugging his friend back. They walked inside the apartment and Jake dropped his duffel bag on the ground.

"I'm so glad you are finally here, it took ya long enough" she laughed, pointing her fruit skewer towards him as they walked into the apartment.

"Sorry" Jake laughed; he stepped into the kitchen and almost choked on his words when he saw the sight in front of him. "What the hell happened in here?" he asked, looking at the flowers that lined the counters.

Brooke just shrugged, acting like it was normal.

"Brooke, there is like a flower shop in your kitchen" Jake said, shock evident in his voice.

"Yeah, whatever" Brooke mumbled, throwing a hand in the air as she rolled her eyes.

"Where did this all come from?" He asked, staring at the balloons that lined the living room as they entered it.

"Lucas" Brooke said nonchalantly.

Jake nodded, he should've known. When Brooke had told him the whole story, starting with her moving to New York and ending with the news of the baby, he had been shocked. The part that surprised him the most is when her and Lucas had been arguing while he was in the next room and Brooke kicked her baby's daddy out of her life.

"Looks like he's really trying" Jake observed, sitting down on the couch.

Brooke stared at him, raising an eyebrow. "Not hard enough, he's still with the wicked bitch…I mean witch" Brooke said, correcting herself with a smile.

"You guys really need to figure it all out. I mean you are having a baby together. You are stuck together for life whether you like it or not." Jake informed her, resting a hand on her knee.

"Blah, blah, blah" Brooke mumbled, using her hand as if it were talking to mock him. That was just her way of showing Jake she was uninterested in what he was saying. "Anyways. On to more _important_ and more _exciting_ things" Brooke smiled, sitting up on the couch while a smile spread onto her lips.

"Oh, no" Jake said, shaking his head. "I know that look. Brooke has an idea and it is probably illegal or just plain no good."

"I resent that" Brooke said, squinting her eyes at him. "But no really, this is a good one" she said, her smile quickly returning. "Now, what do you think about Chae?"

"Your-Your roommate Chae?" Jake stuttered, getting nervous with the question.

"Yes my roommate Chae, silly" Brooke laughed, "Who else would I be talking about?"

"I don't know" Jake shrugged.

"So what do you think about her?" Brooke prodded; her smile growing bigger if that was possible.

"She seems really nice. And she's a good friend to _you_ so she must be really _patient_" Jake said with a nod.

"I'm just gonna ignore that last comment" Brooke decided.

"I don't really know her, but she seems cool" Jake shrugged. Of course he noticed her, its not like he couldn't. She was easy on the eyes, that was for sure…

"Well, I think you should ask her out" Brooke told him.

"Okay" Jake said, considering the idea for a minute. "Okay. Here's the deal. I'll ask her out, but you have to talk to Lucas."

"Oh my god!" Brooke shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "What is with you two, that's exactly what Chae said. You guys are both either really manipulative or meant to be together!"

-----

"Could you guys suck ass anymore than you already do?" Kade shouted, walking into the guys' locker room and throwing his zip up jacket against the lockers. "Seriously? Could you?"

Lucas shook his head; he was getting so sick of Kade and his outbursts of anger. Lucas swore life couldn't get any worse. He used to love to come to basketball practice, just to escape his meaningless life. Well, meaningless before Brooke. He had to admit the brunette bombshell brought excitement and fun into his life. But now, coming to practice was just as bad as being around Peyton.

"You guys don't even realize the pre-season starts in a month, and with you all playing with your heads up your asses you are gonna make even _me_ look like shit!" Kade yelled, going on with his 'rant of the day'.

"Well, if you weren't hogging the damn ball so much" Kyle said, glaring daggers into Kade.

Lucas laughed at this; even Kade's best friend on the team was getting sick of him.

"What? And waste my time passing the ball to a bunch of sissy's who can't even stay focused long enough to score a few points?" Kade screamed, causing Kyle to back down. They had all learned that it was best just to let Kade get all of his yelling out, it was no use trying to reason with the meathead.

"You are the only one complaining" Kyle pointed out before leaving the locker room.

Lucas finished changing, deciding he'd rather go home and shower than be in the locker room with Kade and all of his pent up testosterone for another minute. He left the locker room and went out into the cool night air.

He hadn't talked to Brooke in a little over two weeks now. He had tried to call her, text her, whatever…but she was refusing to talk to him. He could only imagine how angry she was getting about everything he had been sending her. He knew it would make her tick, but he also had to show her that she cared. He could just see her opening the door, hands on her hips and her foot tapping the ground. She would raise and eyebrow and give the delivery guy some smart ass remark before gathering up whatever was being delivered and then slamming the door shut. He couldn't help but smile, she was actually really cute…no…sexy when she was mad.

It just seemed like everything was crashing down around him so fast. It all started with meeting Brooke. It was like she walked into his life and turned it upside down, though not in a bad way. He felt alive when he was with her.

It was the feeling he used to get when he was on the court. But that feeling of being alive on the court soon left him. It was last year, when he had signed on with the New York Knicks straight out of college. He was shocked to be playing professional basketball; it was his dream come true. But all of the pressure took away from the how liberated he felt while playing the game. He knew that there would be a lot of pressure playing professionally, and maybe if the rest of his life wasn't sinking he could handle it a little better.

Then he met Peyton, and married her. He knew it was a mistake in the beginning. But he listened to his publicist and decided that it would be best for his career and image. He was in his own little basketball heaven, and didn't realize the sacrifice he was giving when marrying the bitching, brooding, whining, obnoxious blonde.

Now, his second year of professional basketball and his previously perfect life was going to hell in a hand basket and quick. His wife, turned out to be worse than he first thought. Once they were married, it was as if horns had popped out somewhere in the mess of her curls. The game wasn't like it used to be. It was like it was sucking the last bit of energy from him. He thought he would be okay when he met Brooke, she gave him a release from his life and it scared him how much he began relying on her. It was like he was falling for her fast without a parachute. And the worst part about it was that because of Peyton and the image he had to hold, he felt like he couldn't even have Brooke.

Then while arguing, Brooke just happened to tell him she was pregnant, with his baby. Was it wrong that he was excited deep down when hearing about this? He knew he shouldn't be, he was married. But maybe, having a kid, with Brooke no less, would give his life the meaning that it had recently been lacking.

He knew he had to make changes, and he knew exactly where to start. He needed to make things right with Brooke…but first he had to get her to talk to him, which was proving to be the hardest part.

-----

_I don't need somebody to complete me_

_I complete myself_

_Nobody's got to belong to somebody else_

-----

"What in the hell is she doing in there?" Chae asked as her and Jake stumbled into the apartment. There was light coming from the crack of Brooke's door, and a loud almost humming noise coming from her room.

It was Saturday night, and with a lot of pressure from Brooke the two had gone out on a date. Chae felt bad, leaving Brooke home alone on a Saturday night, especially since it was Jake's last night there, but Brooke had insisted and was being extra stubborn and bitchy so Jake and Chae figured it would be best to give the moody brunette what she wanted.

It turns out they had a great time on their date. They laughed and talked the whole time, and there wasn't very much awkwardness that was usually present on the first date. They had told each other about their very different lives, Chae growing up in busy San Diego, while Jake grew up in a tiny town that most people had never heard of. In the end, they were glad they decided to go out, and were planning to stay in touch when Jake left for Tree Hill tomorrow.

"I have no idea" Jake said, his arm lazily slung around Chae's shoulders. They stood in the hallway, listening to the noises coming from Brooke's room. "Maybe she got the sewing machine out again?" Jake suggested, removing his arm from Chae's shoulder and walking towards Brooke's bedroom.

"Sewing machine?" Chae questioned, her face scrunching up in confusion. "Since when does Brooke know how to sew?"

Jake laughed, "Since forever" he said, turning over his shoulder to see a very confused Chae. He turned back into the direction of Brooke's room and lifted a hand to knock lightly on the door. "You in there B?" he asked, pushing the door open.

"Oh, hey" Brooke said, looking up from the sewing machine she had set up on the desk in her room. "Back already?" She asked, taking her foot off of the pedal of the sewing machine and standing up from her chair. She unwrapped the long piece of fabric that was draped around her neck and carefully placed it on her bed.

"Already, Brooke it's nearly midnight" Jake laughed, wrapping his arms around his small friend in a hug.

"No way" Brooke gasped, stepping back from Jake. "How was it? Take a seat…I want details" Brooke told him with a smile, she could hardly wait to hear all about his hot date with her equally hot roommate.

Jake looked around, there was fabric everywhere. All over her bed, on the chair, on the desk and covering her dresser. Where there wasn't fabric there were sketches. A ton of sketches. It would probably take all of his fingers and toes to count the sketches that were strewn about her room. "Take a seat?" He repeated, his eyes wide as he continued scanning the room, there wasn't even a place he could consider sitting that wasn't covered with fabrics or papers.

Brooke looked up and covered her mouth with her hand, letting out a small giggle. "Whoops." She stood up once again, leaving the piece of clothing she was sewing on the desk. She cleared fabric away from one of the chairs in her room and Jake sat in it. "Okay…details!"

"It was good" Jake smiled, thinking back to his almost perfect date with Chae. "But that's beside the point. What made you bring out the sewing machine again?"

Brooke looked up at him, arching an eyebrow and adjusting the pen behind her ear, "What? I can still make fabulous clothes Jake…"

"I know you can, I mean, I'm just surprised. I thought you gave that up a long time ago" He said, picking up a sketch of a dress and scanning it.

"I don't know, it just seemed like the right thing to do" She shrugged, pushing the pedal with her foot and making the sewing machine buzz.

"I think its great Brooke. Your clothes always made you happy" he smiled. "Are you gonna start back up with Clothes Over Bros?"

A smile slowly appeared on Brooke's face, her eyes seeming to sparkle again like they once had. "I think I might. I mean, I had tons of success in it with high school. And now that I'm having a baby I figure I need to do something with my life. Can't live off of Daddy's credit cards forever" she said with a wink.

"I'm proud of you Brooke" Jake said plainly, standing from the chair and walking towards Brooke. He placed a hand on her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "You were never one to sit back and watch the world pass you by. I've always admired you for that."

She smiled, Jakes hand still warm on her shoulder. "Thanks Jake" she said simply as he walked out of the bedroom. She couldn't help but keep the smile on her face.

"Okay, so how did I not know you could sew?" Chae asked, barging into the room as soon as Jake had left.

Brooke laughed, looking up from the shiny white machine as she saw Chae pick up a halter dress from her bed.

"Okay, you _didn't_ make this" Chae said flatly, admiring the dress that she held in her hands.

"Actually, I did" Brooke grinned, "I know it's not _that_ great, but I just finished it like an hour ago, and considering I didn't even sketch it first-"

"Brooke" Chae gasped, cutting off her friend. Chae held the dress tightly in her hands and looked up at Brooke. "It's amazing. I had no idea…"

Brooke shrugged softly, "It's always been my passion" she confessed, pressing on the pedal and listening to the hum of the machine before continuing. "In high school I actually sold my clothes on a website. I made pretty good money, and it was what I loved to do…"

"Why did you stop?" Chae asked, the dress now flung over one of her arms as she held onto a few of Brooke's sketches.

"I don't know" Brooke replied honestly. When she got out of high school, it just seemed like it wasn't worth it. Kade had always complained how it took up all of her time and she decided just to let it go. Now that she thought about it, maybe she let her happiness leave along with her clothing line.

"Well, I think you are right by deciding to start this up again. I mean these sketches are amazing" Chae said, holding up the papers in her hands.

Brooke nodded, "Okay, but anyways" she said, her lips curving into a smile. "What is up with you and Jake? And I want details! All he said was that it went good…how am I supposed to work with that??"

Brooke watched as Chae's cheeks started to blush. "It was good" she said softly, before turning and leaving her friends room.

"Okay!" Brooke shouted, loud enough that she was hoping both Chae and Jake heard her. "For setting you guys up you are sure being selfish!"

* * *

**A/N: Okkaaay everyone! There ya go! Now go ahead and review, I'll work on writing and updating...fair trade? I think so... hahaha.**

**...Thank You's...**

**sweetchristie03- Way to go! You were the very first reviewer and that is awesome! So I'm glad you are still liking Chae. I really like her too! And you are right, she is like a mix of all 3 of the girls and so it is very refreshing!! Jake and Brooke are just friends :) I hope you like the idea of Chae/Jake haha. Anyways, thanks for always reviewing, I always love to read them!!**

**Jem (flipflopgal)- Heeeeey!! Hahaha I'm glad you liked Jake in this chapter! There is nothing wrong with a jealous Lucas lol. Brucas will get better eventually, but not until Lucas is ready to be there for her!! But I promise, it will get better!! Thanks for your review :)**

**BrucasNaleyLuvr- So I alllwaaaays love to hear from you!! Hahaha I kinda understand what you mean, I've been working in childcare for about 2 and a half years! I am also the 2 year old teacher so I know how it is being around 2 year olds all day haha. If you can understand what they want then you can pretty much understand what anyone says or means so yeah! Brucas will be together eventually, thank you for being patient with me lol. Ohh and you totally called the Jake/Chae thing! So way to go! P.S. you are awesome!!**

**othfan326- You are right, Lucas does need to work harder, especially if he wants to be with Brooke cuz she deserves the best lol. And don't worry...Jake and Brooke will stay just friends! This will be Brucas alllll the way...well eventually it will be I guess, since they aren't really together right now! Anyways, I'm getting off track! Thank you for always reviewing!!**

**brucas333- I know, I really do need to go skiing or snowboarding, I mean I have all of the resources to go haha. I don't know why I haven't, probably cuz its so cold! One of these days I'm gonna try it hhahaa! I think this chapter answered your question about Bake...They will just be friends :) Thanks for always reviewing, you are awesome!!**

**dolcegrazia- I love Jake...he is just so nice! He is also very hott, I don't know why him and Brooke never hooked up in the show lol. But don't worry, they will just stay friends :) Thanks for alwwaaaays reviewing! You're the bestt!!**

**brucas2008- Welcome to the story! I love having new reviewers :) I'm glad you are liking the story so far...and yessss, Chake ahhahaa I like it, I do!!! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter :)**

**LoVeBrucas- So you should be happy with me right now since Brooke and Jake are JUST FRIENDS and since Brooke hooked him and Chae up :) Don't worry, I'm all about Brucas...I just wanted to throw you guys for a little loop and make Lucas a little jealous lol. Thank you for your review, really all of them, they are all so amazing and encouraging and I just love them :) So thaaaanks again!!**

**Sara (brucas2006)- So that was like the best review ever, you win for that :) I love that we both are crazy ramblers and totally understand each other. I mean us ramblers just have to stick together!! I don't even know that rambler is a word? If not it should be cuz it makes perfect sense...right? hahaha! I'm so glad you were happy to see Jake! I really love him...he is just freaking hott and sooo nice. Like ooohhh I just love him lol. Cept for in your story, but in your story Lucas is nice so it makes me not like Jake as much...wow so that makes like no sense whatsoever. Whatever! Moving on...I think you are the only one that said you'd be okay with it if Jake and Brooke got together hahaaa. I'm glad someone likes the idea of Brooke/Jake!! I really love jealous Lucas too. We both do obviously since we both wrote him jealous at one time or another in our stories. Funny that it both had to do with Jake...I guess great minds just think alike!! I'm so glad that you don't think Lucas deserves to be with Brooke right now, cuz he really doesn't! We are soo on the same page! hahaha! I love it! You are the bessst!!**

**bella- I'm glad that you think that Lucas isn't ready to be with Brooke yet, because as much as we all love Brucas, he doesn't even deserve to be with her yet! But don't worry, Jake and Brooke will just stay friends :)**

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- OMG I seriously loved your review, as always! You seriously crack me up!! I'm glad you are up for a little Chae/Jake action...so am I hahaa. Oh and no, we wouldn't want Jake to get addicted to Peytons crack hahahaa. Oh man, that totally cracked me up. And I have to admit, my favorite kiss is the I wanna rip your clothes off type too hahaa. You are so silly! I really love your songs, I'm ready for another one :)**

**Kait-Lynn23- I'm glad you are liking this story! Yeah Brooke and Lucas are both being difficult in their own ways, but don't worry, it'll all work out eventually!! Thanks for the review! It's great to know what you think!!**

**chebelle- Hahaha I lovedd your review!! Lucas does need to grow a brain, I totally agree!! Oh, and don't worry, I'm sticking with Brucas too hahhaaha Brucasm hahahahaa**

**Anna (dancefever0234)- Awww thank you so much for your review! It really means a lot to hear things like that. Thats funny that you had a frosting fight too, cuz me and my friends actually did and thats where I got the idea from. I pull a lot of my ideas from things that have happened to me or my friends! I think its really neat that you can relate to this story in some way. Thank you so much for your review :)**

**lilohb- Thank you for your review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!**

**TutorGrrl- Hahaha I'm glad you are with me about Pucas!! I'm glad you are liking this story, and it's okay to be addicted :) hahaaha! I hope you liked this chapter, thank you tons for reviewing!!**

**Brucas08- Aww thank you for your review. That was so kind! I'm really glad you like this story and shocked you think its one of the best. A good shocked though of course :) I hope you liked this chapter :)**

**courtneylovejason- So your reviews are basically love. Hahaha I didn't even think about the whole Chris Keller thing, but yeah it was totally like that!! OMG I am excited that you like the idea of Jake/Brooke together. Honestly they are both amazing, Brooke is gorgeous and Jake is freeaaaking hott...why did they never hook up?? Oh and yes...I love his hair...oh Jake! He is just amazzzing. Let's see...I guess if I were to picture Chae to look like anyone I would probably think someone like Rachel Bilson...yeah, thats what I picture! But I haven't described her a whole lot, just one time I think, so I guess that leaves it open for people to make up their own version of her! I love your rambling lol so its okay, ramble on...I do it too! Hahaha! And your ideas are great, I am actually thinking somewhere along those lines...But yeah, Lucas has some work to do! OH and SEAWHORSE hahahaahaaa LOVE IT! Dude, I love your reviews, seriously, end of story!!**

**carebearxo8- I totally agree with you, Kade should be run over by a bus... hahaha. No, don't worry, Brooke won't play any tricks like that hahhahaa. And I like the idea of Jake/Brooke too, but we're sticking with Brucas, so you'll be happy with that one along with everyone else hehee. Thanks for your review!!**

**onetreehillgirl066- Hahaha, don't worry, Brooke and Jake are only friends...but now that you've read this chapter you get that haha. Sadly Jenny isn't in this story :( But I agree, it would've been good for Brooke to have been able to interact with her. Oh, and I miss Haley too. She'll be coming up in a few chapters, don't worry!**

**Chasity (chasitybsp)- Thank you for your review! I wish Mark would give us some Brucas, but he seems to be obsessed with Peyton and Lucas and a little thing called Pucas, in other words he's confused lol. I'm going to have to watch that interview, I don't think I've seen it, so thanks for telling me about it!! And thanks for always reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**Katherine- So I don't know if you'll read this since you already read the chapter but I'm still gonna reply to your Chapter 14 review that you e-mailed me anyways. First of all, it was so long lol you are amazing, really!! I love your long reviews!! I'm glad you thought that C.14 was perfect, I think you are just too nice lol. And you really should try the frosting lipstick cuz me and my friends actually had a frosting fight (thats where I stole the idea from lol) and lipstick frosting is SO yummy, omg it seriously was like the best idea I've ever had, but you gotta watch out cuz it seriously like melts off of your lips. But its still so worth it lol. So I have to say thank you for the Jake idea, like really I loved it, obviously! And it was kinda fun to see people squirm thinking Jake and Brooke would be together, but nope, I'm all about Brucas too hahaha. I'm glad you saw Brooke as strong and all cuz thats how I was hoping everyone would see her! Thank you once again for always helping me out and being so suportive!!!**

**Thank You Everyone! XoXoXLindsay!!**


	16. Consider the Choices

**A/N: Okay everyone! Thanks a million for all of your _wonderful_ reviews!! We are almost to _300_ reviews! How amazing is that? You could say I'm a little excited, but that would be an understatement. I'm am very thrilled!! As always, thank you's are at the bottom. The song in this chapter is called 'Down' and is by Blink 182. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter :)**_

* * *

_

_Tidal waves they rip right through me_

_Tears from eyes worn cold and sad_

_Pick me up now, I need you so bad_

**Chapter Sixteen- Consider The Choices**

Brooke stayed up all night working on her clothes. She finally felt like she was getting a hold on her crazy life, and she couldn't feel better. Well, she could feel a little better…but that involved one very broody blonde boy, and she knew that was hoping for too much.

"Brooke" Chae moaned, walking into the bedroom and rubbing her sleepy eyes. "It's four in the morning and it's hard to sleep when all I can hear is the buzzing of that damn machine."

"Well good morning Sleeping Bitchy" Brooke said with a laugh. She looked up and saw Chae glaring at her, not thinking she was funny at all. She bit on her bottom lip. "Sorry…It's just hard to sleep when you're so excited!"

Chae shook her head, running a hand through her messy bed hair. "I know, but you know, it is okay to work during normal hours of the day. And Jake leaves this afternoon, you're gonna be sleeping his whole last morning here if you don't go to bed."

Brooke raised her eyebrows and nodded her head, "Yeah, your right. I'll turn it off" Brooke told her, seeing that Chae did have a very good point.

Chae gave Brooke a lazy thumbs up as she padded out of Brooke's room and went back to sleep. Brooke took a drink from her water bottle and finished the sewing the shirt she was working on. After clearing a spot on her bed, she climbed into it and tried to go to sleep.

-----

After tossing and turning for a few hours, Brooke decided it wasn't worth it and gave up on sleep, deciding to get out of bed. It was only 8 in the morning, but she heard Jake and Chae out in the kitchen giggling and laughing. She got out of bed and adjusted the tank top she had been sleeping in. She slipped her feet into some furry slippers and made her way out of the room.

"Don't you dare!" She heard Chae squeal as she walked down the hall.

"What was that?" She heard Jake say back, a playful tone in his voice, and then Chae erupted into a fit of giggles.

Brooke walked into the kitchen, finding Jake holding Chae over his shoulder. What the hell was going on in here?

"Hey" Jake said casually noticing Brooke standing in the room; he set Chae back on the ground and smiled nervously.

Brooke must have had a weird look on her face because Chae looked at her funny before she started talking, "we were just making breakfast…"

"Mmhmm" Brooke nodded with a raised eyebrow, "If that's your story…"

-----

Brooke and Jake were sitting in a small café before he had to go to the airport.

"Can't you just stay" Brooke whined, poking out her lip. "Pleaaase."

"I wish I could Brooke" Jake said with a laugh. "I worry about you."

Brooke scrunched up her face, running her finger along the rim of her glass. "Why?"

Jake cleared his throat, reaching a hand across and placing it on top of Brookes. "You just have so much going on, and you are so stubborn. I just want you to let someone in Brooke. You don't have to do this all yourself…"

"Thanks Jake, really. But I think I can handle it" she told him, flashing him a dimpled smile in hopes of making him feel better. "But anyways…you _so_ owe me for hooking you up with Chae!"

Jake laughed, "Brooke the matchmaker" he said with a shake of his head.

"Well Jakey" Brooke said, checking the time on herr phone. "I think we better get you to the airport…_Unless_ you wanna _stay_?"

They walked out into the busy New York streets, Jakes arm hung loosely around Brooke's shoulders. He held his duffel bag in his other hand and they stood on the corner, waiting for a cab.

Jake set his bag on the ground, and waved his arm to hail a cab. As the cab approached the curb, he leaned his head down into her hair.

"Take care of yourself Penelope," he whispered. "Call Lucas, and if you need me…well, you know how to find me."

Brooke smiled as he lifted his head from her ear and pulled her into a hug. She rested her head on his chest, refusing to cry. They finally pulled away when Jake noticed the cab drivers impatience. He smiled at Brooke as he opened the car door.

"I love you Davis" he said, as he watched her climb into the cab.

"I love you too Jakey" she smiled, watching as he shut her door for her and waited for a cab to take him to the airport. She waved to him as the cab pulled away.

She wiped at her eyes before the tears started spilling out and then she did something that she knew she needed to do.

She pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed Lucas' number.

_"Brooke!" he said into the phone, surprise evident in his tone._

"Hey" she said, twisting a strand of her hair around her finger. "I think we should meet up and talk…"

_"Yeah, we really should__. Are you okay Brooke? You don't sound like yourself. I've been trying to get a hold of you…"_

"I know, I've just needed time to think, I'm sorry. But I'm fine, don't worry about me" she said, trying to fill her voice with cheeriness.

_"I've __mis__-"_

"Luke, don't" she said sternly, cutting him off before he could finish. "Can you come to my apartment later tonight?"

_"Yeah, I'll come after practice, probably around 8."_

"Sounds good, see you then" Brooke told him, flipping her phone shut before he had time to reply.

-----

Brooke walked into the apartment and was happy to find it quiet. She just needed time alone, to think. She changed into some comfy clothes and decided to clean up the apartment before Lucas got there.

She just didn't know what to do. She missed Lucas, and she wanted to be with him but it just didn't seem realistic. He was still married to his psycho wife, and it didn't look like he was planning on leaving her anytime soon. How could he be a good dad to their baby, if he couldn't even be seen out in public with them without fear of paparazzi catching them together. She knew what she needed to do, and that was protect her _heart_ and her _baby_ before she got in too deep.

-----

"Lucas! Focus!" His coach yelled from the sidelines after blowing harshly on his whistle. "Time out!"

Lucas threw the ball onto the court and walked over to the bench. He grabbed a water bottle and wiped the sweat of his forehead with a towel. He was counting down the minutes until practice was over, but with the way he was playing he'd be lucky if the coach let him leave on time.

Kade walked over to the benches where Lucas was standing and walked straight into him, throwing him off balance.

"Excuse me?" Lucas scowled, looking over to where Kade was walking.

Kade turned around to face Lucas. "Yeah? Need something Lucas Suck-ass?"

Lucas slowly walked towards Kade, shaking his head. "You know what, you aren't even worth it" Lucas said, hitting him with his shoulder as he walked away.

Practice finally ended, and after he was on the receiving end of a lecture from his coach Lucas hit the shower.

He couldn't wait to go and talk to Brooke. He had been dying inside ever since she told him that she was pregnant. All he wanted to do was pull the hurt girl into his arms and never let her go. Sadly, reality became an issue and Brooke refused to even talk to him. If only he could think of a way to live his life without Peyton ruining it and be there for Brooke and their baby.

-----

Chae stormed into the apartment, throwing her purse on the table and dropping her jacket onto a chair. "It is clean in here!" She yelled into the quiet apartment. "Brooke?"

Brooke walked out of her bedroom, dressed in a flowered cotton dress. Her hair was straight and hanging along her shoulders. "You're home."

"Yeah. What are you all dressed up for?" Chae asked walking over to the counter and looking through the mail that Brooke had brought up earlier.

"Lucas is coming over to talk…" Brooke said, her face strained as she played with her fingers.

"Good" Chae smiled, "It's about time. I miss my Brucas" Chae said with a pout.

Brooke rolled her eyes and walked back into her bedroom to finish getting ready. She was nervous about seeing Lucas. She was scared of how he made her feel, and she just hoped she could stay strong.

-----

_This awkward silence makes me crazy_

_The glow inside burns light upon her_

_I'll try to kiss you if you let me_

-----

Lucas stood in front of Brooke's building and inhaled deeply. He straightened his blue button up shirt and slowly made his way into the building. He checked his watch; it was just after 8:20. The elevator ride up to her apartment seemed to take an eternity, and he was becoming impatient. He just needed to _see_ her, and it would all be okay.

He stood in front of her door, and laughed at a picture that was taped onto the outside of it. It wasn't like this was a dorm room and people just taped pictures on the outside of their doors, then again, most people weren't like Chae and Brooke. In the picture Chae was wearing pajamas and her glasses with her hair in a messy bun on top of her head. She was giving Brooke a piggy back ride, and was slightly bent over while trying to hold Brooke up. Brooke's hair was also pulled on top of her head, and she was holding on tight to Chae's neck. Brooke had one of the biggest smiles on her face that he had ever seen. Her dimples were in full show and her eyes were squinted shut. He smiled at the picture once more before bringing his hand up to the door and tapping on it lightly.

He heard movement on the other end of the door, and it finally opened, ever so slowly.

"Hey Luke" Chae said with a smile, just as if it were any other day.

"Hey" he said back, standing there nervously as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

Chae turned away from him and brought her hands up to her mouth, "BROOKE!" she yelled, using her hands as if they were a megaphone. Chae turned back to face Lucas and gave him a small smile.

He sensed from her smile that she knew something. Her smile was almost a pity smile, like she knew the shit was about to hit the fan…

Brooke suddenly appeared in the doorway, standing behind Chae. She looked down at her hands before looking at Lucas.

"This is weird" Chae laughed, slipping out the door and into the hall next to Lucas. "I'll be up at Lauren and Kayla's if you need me" She said before patting Luke on the shoulder and mouthing good luck to Brooke.

Brooke raised her eyebrows, before stepping aside, "Come in…" She couldn't help but smile at him. It was good to see him, and as much as she wanted to hate him she couldn't. He walked into the apartment past her, and waited for her in the hall as she closed the front door. She walked towards him, her hand sliding across his arm as she walked past. "You look good Luke." She said, looking over her shoulder at him.

Lucas smiled, thinking for the first time in the past two weeks that he actually might have another chance with her. He followed her into the living room and sat next to her on the couch. He watched her as she lowered her eyes and licked her lips. "I've missed you Brooke."

She looked up at him, and he stared into her hazels eyes. He loved the way that her eyes changed colors depending on what color she was wearing. He could see little gold specks in them now…But besides the gold's and browns and greens that were present in her eyes he saw, hurt, sadness, and fear and that scared him more than anything. He watched as she bit on her lip, her eyes never losing contact with his as they filled with tears.

Lucas brought his hand up to her cheek and cupped it, rubbing gently with his thumb. He thought she would pull away from his touch, but surprisingly she leaned into it and closed her eyes forcing out a few tears.

When she opened her eyes again he felt as if everything was moving in slow motion. He moved his face closer towards her until he could feel her breath on his lips. She closed her eyes again and he leaned closer, finally meeting his lips with hers. He had almost forgot how soft and full her lips felt against his, or the taste of the bubble gum lip gloss that she often wore. He brought his other hand up to her cheek and held onto her as they slowly kissed. He felt one of Brooke's hands reach for his hair and she pulled on it lightly.

The kiss seemed to last forever, but neither of them wanted it to end. The agonizingly slow kiss slowly picked up pace and suddenly Lucas was running his hands through her hair as Brooke pressed her body hard against his. There was a sense of need and urgency in the kiss for both of them.

Brooke pulled away first, breathing heavily and trying to catch her breath. She kept her eyes closed as Lucas softly kissed her neck and collar bone. She moved her hands to his face and brought it back up to hers where she crashed her lips back onto his.

Brooke's fingers made their way to the top buttons of his shirt and expertly began popping them out of their small holes. She pushed his shirt off of him leaving him in only a white undershirt and khaki pants. He rested his hands on her bare thighs, slowly moving them up until they were touching the hem of her light dress.

Brooke reached her hands down to the top of Lucas' pants, her fingers lazily fumbled with the zipper.

"Brooke" Lucas said, pulling away from her, his breathing heavy. "Maybe we should-"

She bit on her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes at him, still working on the zipper of his pants, "Just don't talk…" She ordered, he nodded and brought his lips back to hers.

-----

Brooke came out of the bathroom to find Lucas sitting on the couch. He was staring at the coffee table and the vase of flowers that sat on top of it. His hair was messy, but Brooke was just happy he got dressed while she was in the other room.

She pulled the long sleeves of her sweater down so that they were covering her hands. She walked to the couch and sat down next to him, pulling her feet under her.

"I don't know what you want Brooke" Lucas said defeated as he looked over at the small brunette.

Brooke sighed, and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "How about I tell you what I _don't_ want? That would probably be easier" she told him in a tone that was far from cheery.

"Why does this have to be so hard?" He said, his voice growing louder and his frustration rising. "God, we're having a baby, but you are pushing me away! I just want to be here for you!"

"Yeah," Brooke said with a laugh, "You want to _'be here'_ for me and this baby when you are married to a bitch." Brooke said with a scowl. "Do you realize that you wouldn't be able to be seen in public with me and the baby with out the entertainment world going crazy?" She said, raising her eyebrows at him. "You say that you can't leave Peyton because your life would be over, but going out with me and the baby would do the exact same thing Lucas! And you aren't just going to be a dad behind closed doors" She said, making sure to keep her voice confident. "That isn't going to work for me, or this baby."

Lucas brought a hand up to his head and ran it through his hair. "So what do you want me to do Brooke!"

"Well Lucas, it looks to me like you have two choices…" she shrugged, it really was just as simple as that and she didn't know why he was making everything so difficult.

"So you are telling me that I have to choose between you and my baby or my life and career?" Lucas asked, he couldn't believe this is what it came down to.

"I guess so Lucas" Brooke sighed, she was sick of arguing with him. All she wanted was to know that he would be there for her, but he just wasn't getting it. "It's not just me and you that this is affecting…there is an innocent baby involved, and I'm sorry but I just can't risk anything that will end up hurting my child in any way."

Lucas nodded; knowing that on some level Brooke was making sense.

When he didn't say anything more Brooke took the chance to speak. "So I guess you have a choice to make, but for now, maybe you should just go. I've said everything I need to say to you."

Brooke stood up and Lucas followed her to the door. She opened it, and he just stared at her while she held the door open. He realized she was refusing to look in his eyes and he wished he could protect her from everything, but that just wasn't realistic right now.

"I wish it didn't have to be like this" he said, his voice coming out in a mere whisper.

Brooke nodded, forcing out a small, sad smile. "Me too Luke…me too."

He stepped out of the door and was standing in the hall, watching as Brooke held onto the door. "Can I call you?" he asked, not willing to give her up just yet.

Brooke just shrugged, and gave him a small smile before closing the door.

-----

Lucas left the apartment and couldn't even imagine going 'home'. He decided just to walk around the streets of New York, not caring where he ended up. He just couldn't figure out how his life got so screwed up. If he had only met Brooke a year earlier, he wouldn't be in the mess with Peyton.

Peyton. The name almost made him sick. He was so mad at her, if she would just let him go…but he knew she wouldn't, not without a fight at least. He had worked so hard to get to where he was in his basketball career, and he knew that his reputation and image would be shot to hell if Peyton had anything to do with it. He would probably go broke in all the money he would have to pay her as well.

He was mad, and it just wasn't fair. For Peyton, no matter what choice he made, she won. But for him…he wasn't so sure.

But at the end of the day, all he could think about was Brooke. The way her dimples were made known when she smiled, and how her face scrunched up when she was confused. He thought about when she was nervous and she'd bite on her lip or twirl her hair in her fingers. But more than that, he thought of what an amazing woman she was. She was so strong and confidant. She was a great friend, and he could tell that a lot of times she thought of everyone else before herself. Even in the way she protected their unborn baby was amazing to him. He was shocked at how this one person could hold so much love and devotion. She was all he thought about, and once he started, he couldn't stop. That had to mean something, right?

-----

"Haley" Brooke sniffled into the phone as her friend answered, trying to hold in the sobs that were threatening to spill out.

_"Brooke" Haley said, her voice turning into concerned mode. "What's going on? What's wrong?"_

"I…screwed…up" Brooke choked out in between sobs. The tears were spilling out now, and they couldn't be stopped. She had been trying to hold all of her crazy emotions in, and in the process it may have made her feel worse because now she couldn't control anything. "I-I…I can't…I can't breeaaathe." She cried.

_"Honey, calm down" Haley soothed, trying to sound calm even though she was freaking out. "Tell me what happened…"_

"I-I-" she started, wiping at her eyes with a tissue. She was having a hard time talking through her crying and when she tried to say anything it came out as a hiccup of a cry.

_"Okay, Brooke" Haley said calmly, trying to calm herself in the process. "You are really worrying me. I need you to calm down, just take a deep breath okay?"_

"O-okay" Brooke said in a big gulp of air as she cried. She closed her eyes and put her head in her lap taking big long breaths.

_"Good" Haley said, listening to Brooke breath. She could tell it was helping as she heard Brooke's big sobs calming down into sniffles. "Just breathe, I'm here Brookie…"_

Brooke took another big breath, and keeping her head in her lap she began talking. "I don't know what to do Hale's, I'm lost" she said, forming the first sentence since Lucas had left.

_"Its okay, just tell me what's going on" Haley told her, making sure not to let Brooke hear the shakiness in her voice._

Brooke took another deep breath. "I'm pregnant Haley…I don't know what to do" Brooke told her, feeling a weight lift off her just by telling her friend.

_"Oh, Brooke, sweetie, it's going to be okay" Haley said__, glad that Brooke's condition__ wasn't life threatening. Yeah she was shocked and all, but she expected something much worse. "That explains why Jake has been so worried and coming up there all the time…"_

"It's not okay, Lucas is gone" Brooke sniffled, rubbing at her eyes and holding a pillow against her. "He-he chose _her_…"

_Haley leaned back, resting the weight of her body on the wall. She closed her eyes, wishing that her best friend wasn't going through this. She knew there was a chance of this happening and it made her sick that it__ actually_was_ happening. "Maybe you should come home Brooke, you need your family…"_

"_Family_? I haven't seen my parents since the Christmas card picture they sent last year" Brooke said, her tears slowly disappearing.

_"Us Brooke, we're your family. Come home, we need you here and I don't want you there alone" Haley told her, hoping that her stubborn friend would listen._

Brooke wiped at her eyes, "I can't leave Chae" she cried out through her tears, they were starting to hit again full force.

_Haley sighed deeply, "She'll be okay Brooke, I think she'll understand. I just want to help you…"_

Brooke breathed heavily, trying to calm down again. "I know." She bent over again, resting her head in her lap while she breathed in and out.

_"Just think about it" Haley said, wishing she could be with her friend right now. She hated the thought of her being so broken while so far away._

"I will. Thanks Hale's" Brooke said softly, "I'm gonna try and sleep. I'll call you later…"

_"If you need anything Brooke, promise you'll call me. Don't shut me out okay? It'll all be okay. I love you so much…" Haley said into the phone, trying to keep herself from crying._

"I love you too Haley" Brooke said quietly before flipping the phone shut and hoping Chae would be home soon. She crawled into her big comfy bed, pulling blankets up all around her. She curled into a little ball, resting her hands on her still non-existent tummy and closed her eyes, forcing the tears that were left to roll down her cheeks.

* * *

**A/N: Alright everyone, what did you think?? I know some of you are probably getting impatient and frustrated, but remember...'People who are meant to be together _always_ find their way in the end'...I promise, it gets better :) Just so you know, I am going out of town tomorrow and won't be back til monday...so I won't be able to update until monday night most likely. Make sure and leave me reviews so I can come home from my trip and update for ya'll!!! That would be like the best gift to come home too since I'm not taking my laptop! Yeah, so just remember to review, tell me what you thought :) Oh, and I'm most likely going to be jumping forward a few months in the next chapter...how do you guys feel about that?? Thank you's are gonna have to be short this time so I can get this chapter out before work...sooorrrry!**

**...Thank You's...**

**brucas3- Way to go! You were the veeeerrry first one to review! Thats so awesome :) I agree with everything you said in your review. I am glad you are on the same page as me :)**

**courtneylovejason- OMG I seriously love your reviews. I probably couldn't tell you thank you enough!! And you are right, 529 words is a lot...I mean you are basically _amazing_...and I'm being serious! I really loved your review, like a lot. Serious allergy attack huh? Yeah, my nose was getting itchy writing that chapter too hahahaa! I really enjoyed your ideas, and Chae does need a nickname...Sorry this is short, I wanna get this chapter up before work, but I loved your review immensly...like rreeaaally alot!! love, love, love!!!**

**Sara (Brucas2006)- as always, I loved your review. You are definitely in my like top 4 favorite people at least! ahhahhaaa. I love that you've used the word rambler before too...hahaha only us! It's a good word though and makes allll the sense in the world! We are too funny! Sorry this has to be so short, but thank you for alwaaaays reviewing, and I seriously love you!**

**BrOoKe DaViS23- good to hear from you, I've missed you lol. I hate being out of the internet, that seriously sucks! I hope your laptop gets fixed soon!! Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you are enjoying the story still...you are just great!**

**bella- I totally agree with you. Yup. Thanks for always reviewing, I hope you liked this chapterr!!**

**carebearxo8- Hahaha you really are too nice. I'm glad that you like my story! And I'm also happy that you feel like you are getting to know Brooke better in it, cuz thats my goal :) Thanks a gazillion for your review!!**

**brucasisl0ve3- Thank you for your review!!! I'm so glad you are enjoying this story, and I hope you liked this chapter as well!!**

**dolcegrazia- It is always great to hear from you! I'm glad you like the Brooke/Jake friendship, so do I! Hehe! I hope you liked this chapter as well!!**

**Jem (flipflopgal)- hahhaa I loved your review, and I agree! The onsie idea is very cute! I'll have to think about using it!! Thank you for always reviewing! You are great!!**

**Caaassss (CheerandBrood323)- Yeah, I can imagine the jeopardy song would be tough lol. And OMG please make a brucas song to hit me baby one more time lol that would be awesome, I'd love you forever lol!**

**reina123- Thank you for your review! I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far!**

**brucas333- Well, there was a little Brucas action for you, even if it wasn't like totally happy...they have a ways to go, but it'll be worth it :)**

**Brucas True Love- Thanks for the review! I'm glad you are liking the story so far!!**

**BrucasNaleyLuvr- Thank you for your review! I always love reaading them! Anyways, I'm sure I'll be talking to you soon, so I won't bother writing a whole lot here. Looove you!!**

**LoVeBrucas- Thank you times a million for your review! I love them immensly!! I'm really glad that you like Jake and Chae together! And Lucas really does need to divorce Peyton, but don't worry...**

**sweetchristie03- Thank you sooo much for your reviews! I feel honored that my story is one of the storys you read everytime there is an update. That really is awesome. You also are so great with reviewing everytime! That really is just so awesome of you! Thank you sooo much!**

**lilohb- ooooo I seriously want fruit dipped in chocolate! Nice idea...ever since I read that I can't stop thinking about it. I really think I'm gonna have to go to The Melting Pot restaraunt now cuz they have yummmy chocolate dipping deserts! Ooohhh so good! Hahaa! Thanks for your review, and thanks for giving me a craving ahahhaa**

**othfan326- So there was a little Brucas in this chapter for you :) Thanks for being so patient with this story! Brucas will be together for reals eventuallly!!! Thanks for always reviewing :)**

**Chasity (chasitybsp)- I'm glad that you liked this chapter! Oh and you should send me the link to that video, I got frustrated and stopped looking lol. I get impatient. You can get my e-mail adress off of my profile cuz I'm not sure if it'll let me post it on here, fanfiction is kinda funny with that stuff...so yeah you should totally e-mail me the link and I'll love you forever!! OH and thank you for aaalllwwaaays reviewing! **

**Brucasfan23- I really loved your review lol. Someone needs to hit Kade, I agree...I wish it could be me hhahahaa. Good thing I'm in control here...hahahahaa..sometimes I forget I am! Lol. Anyways thank you for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter...Brucas is in it :)**

**onetreehillgirl066- Hahaha, was that a demand??? Sorry this chapter wasn't all Brucas...but there was a little Brucas :) One day they will be together and all will be good, I promise :)**

**brucas224- Okay, so I still haven't seen the video, grrr. I'm not sure if you got my PM, but fanfiction like deletes web adresses when you send them, so you should go to my profile and get my e-mail adress off of it and e-mail me the link! That would be awesome! I'm glad you are liking Chae, Brooke, and Brucas! Thats what I want lol. There was a little Brucas in this chapter...hehee**

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- I just love typing your name here...for obvious reasons. Especially since its all in caps...in just makes me happy :) Thank you for reviewing, that also makes me happy :) I'm glad you are liking the story sooo far!!**

**chebelle- So I totally loved your review. hahha. You are too funny. I really just loved your whole review, like seriously. And you are very smart ;) great ideas by the way...I hope you liked the brucas in this chapter even though it wasn't much!**

Sooo everyone! Don't forget to review! I'll update when I get back from vacation! Thank you all once again, you guys rock my face off!!! XOXOXLinds


	17. Back At Your Door

**A/N: Alright everyone, I'm back from vaca...sadly haha. But no, I'm excited to be home. Thank you to everyone who reviewed while I was away...you guys are rockstars! It was so exciting to come home to reviews!The song in this chapter is 'If You're Gone' by Matchbox Twenty...Also this chapter is jumping ahead about 4 months...so Brooke is now 5 months pregnant...I hope everything makes sense, if not...PM me with questions or leave them in reviews and I'll answer them! Anyways, Enjoy!**

_I think I've already lost you_

_I think you're already gone_

_I think I'm finally scared now_

_You think I'm weak_

_I think you're wrong_

**Chapter Seventeen- Back At Your Door**

Lucas paid the cab driver and quickly climbed out of the yellow car. He pulled his jacket tighter around him, feeling the cold air on his skin. He jogged towards the building doors and was let in by the doorman. He walked towards the elevator, and pressed the button waiting for his ride up. 

Once he was off of the elevator, he made his way down the hall and to the left. Finally he was standing in front of the door that he had wanted. He anxiously brought his fist to the wood, knocking on it loud enough to be heard. There was no going back now…

He heard shuffling on the other side of the door and a couple unlocking noises. He looked up at the door as it was pulled open. He was met with a head of brown hair.

"Hey" he said silently, his hands now shoved in his jeans pockets.

"What are you doing here?" Chae asked, looking at Lucas with surprise. She was so not expecting this.

"I'm looking for Brooke" Lucas said, raising an eyebrow. What else would he be doing there? 

Chae looked around nervously and then pulled the door open, stepping back as Lucas followed her into the apartment.

"She's actually not here Luke" Chae told him as she walked into the living room, sitting on a bright red bean bag chair that was to the side of the couch.

"Where is she, I can wait" Lucas said quickly, as he took a seat on the couch. "I just need to see her…"

"No," Chae smiled, shaking her head. "I mean she's not _here_, here as in New York…" Chae explained.

"What?" Lucas asked, his face scrunched up in confusion. He brought his hand to his head, scratching the back of it. "What do you mean she's not in New York?"

Chae took a deep breath, looking down at her hands. "She went back to Tree Hill…"

"To visit?" Lucas asked, obviously still not understanding.

"Well, I guess you could call it that" Chae shrugged, looking back up at Lucas. "She left almost four months ago Luke."

Lucas dropped his head down into his hands trying to take in all of the new information. He had no idea she had even left. Every time he had tried to call her in the past couple of months she didn't answer, but he still didn't think she'd just up and _leave_.

"She's coming back Lucas" Chae laughed slightly, she couldn't help but find it a little funny at how upset Lucas seemed to be. Not that he had a right to be upset considering what a jerk he had been lately.

He looked up at this, feeling hopeful. "When?"

Chae shrugged again, leaning forward. "I'm not sure, maybe next month?" she said, watching Lucas slowly nod his head. "What are you doing here anyways? Brooke isn't even _talking_ to you…you are _still_ married."

Lucas looked around as if trying to find the answer to her question. His eyes finally looked back towards her. "I don't know" he admitted. "I just need to see her Chae, I've been going crazy. I can't stop thinking about her…and the baby…I just wish there was something I could do."

Chae laughed, throwing her head back behind her. "You wish there was something you could do?" She said, raising her eyebrows at the stupid boy in front of her. "God Lucas, you seriously are a dumb ass." Lucas opened his mouth, but Chae held up a hand to stop him. "No, you get to listen to me right now. Do you think you can do that?"

Lucas looked up at her, and nodded his head. He wasn't sure if he should listen to her or be mad and leave. He didn't know why she had such an attitude, as far as he could tell, this wasn't any of Chae's business anyways.

"Well, I'm sure you are thinking that this is none of my business, but you are wrong because you have _made_ it my business. When you decided to mess around with Brooke's heart…you made it my business Luke" She told him, moving from the bean bag chair to take a seat next to Lucas on the couch. "She was hurt Lucas, _really_ hurt. She liked you a lot; I think she could have loved you. You tell her you want to be there for her, but it doesn't really matter what you say because they are all empty promises. And she knows that. She knows that you _can't_ be there for her…do you know how much that has to hurt her?"

"I want to be there for her, you don't understand" Lucas said softly, feeling defeated.

Chae shrugged her shoulders, "Well, maybe instead of telling her that, you should show her…"

"How am I supposed to do that?" He asked, throwing his hands up in the air.

Chae inhaled deeply, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears. "Lucas, either you want to be with her or you don't. Really it's simple as that…"

Lucas stared blankly in front of him. "I want to be with her" he finally confessed.

"Then you better do something about it, and it better be _good_" Chae said, a small smile creeping on her face. "Ya know, I was always rooting for Brucas…" Lucas raised his eyebrows, obviously confused of what she was talking about. Before he had a chance to say anything Chae spoke up again. "Never mind" she said with a laugh.

Chae stood up from the couch, Lucas following. "Thanks Chae" Lucas told her gratefully as they walked towards the front door.

"Sure Luke" Chae said, opening the door and giving him a small smile. "You know, she's never gonna settle for being the girl on the side right?"

Lucas laughed this time, stepping out of the apartment and into the hallway. "Yeah, I know. After I sort out my screwed up life I'm going to make it up to her."

"Good" Chae smiled, hoping he was actually planning on doing something with Brooke. "Bye Lucas."

"Thanks for the talk Chae. I'll see ya around" He said with a smile as she nodded and slowly closed the door.

-----

Brooke sat on her huge bed, leaning her body against the headboard as she carefully ran the tiny fingernail polish brush against her fingernails. She found it amazing that her fingernails grew so fast during pregnancy! Those vitamins seemed to work miracles.

Her concentration was soon lost when she heard a banging noise on her bedroom door.

"Tiiig!" Haley yelled before pushing the door open and piling into the room. "I was knocking on the front door for like 10 minutes!" She said, one hand resting on her large belly and the other swiping a long strand of hair out of her face.

Brooke giggled, finishing up the nail she was working on, "Sorry Tutor-Mommy, but you know you _can_ just walk in" she said with a laugh. She reached for the bottle of nail polish that was resting on the table next to her bed. She screwed the top back onto the bottle and then placed it back onto the small table.

"I know…" Haley said, climbing up onto Brooke's bed. "You ready to go? We're supposed to be meeting Nate and Jake to pick out a crib…" 

Brooke held her hands out in front of her, admiring the shiny new polish on her nails. "Yeah, let's get out of here." Brooke said with a nod, deciding that her nails did in fact look good. 

"Meet you out in the car" Haley sang. She climbed off of the bed and made her way to Brooke's door, waddling her way out.

After gathering all of her things, Brooke met Haley outside and climbed into the awaiting car.

It was crazy to think she had been home in Tree Hill for nearly four months now. It was hard to get adjusted being back home, but she loved being able to see her best friend every day, not to mention Jake and Nate too. 

Jake had been very helpful, trying to make Brooke as comfortable as possible. If she was having a hard day, he would be the first one at her door with a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. If she was in the mood for a girly movie, he would talk Nathan into going with Brooke and Haley so that they could all go together. He had been a great friend, and Brooke knew she was lucky to have him there.

Surprisingly, she had missed New York. She liked the busy city where people were always doing something. She also missed hanging out with Chae all the time. She had seen her a few times in the last four months, but it still wasn't the same as living with her. Chae came to Tree Hill to visit Brooke and Jake once a month, so that was good. Chae and Jake also seemed to be doing well. They talked to each other at least once a day on the phone, and Jake had even traveled to New York to see Chae a few times. He always invited Brooke to go with him, but she never agreed.

It was weird for Brooke to be living in the house she grew up in. Her parents had never gotten around to selling it when they moved to California, and they didn't care if she lived in it now. She loved that house, she really did. But it was just so big and lonely sometimes that all she wanted was out. Brooke was still paying rent for the apartment in New York, because eventually she did want to go back. 

Tree Hill had turned out to be a good choice for her. She now had her clothing line up and running with her website on the internet. Clothes Over Bro's was doing really well, and Brooke was excited. She stayed pretty busy with her small business. She was constantly sketching out new ideas and sewing like crazy. She still insisted that she make all the dresses herself. She didn't want to hire people to make her clothes. Although, sooner or later she knew she was going to have to because it was getting to be a lot of work. Her clothes kept her busy, and as 

long as she stayed busy then her mind didn't wander. As long as her mind didn't wander, then she wouldn't think about a certain blonde boy she had left back in New York.

She thought that after four months, she wouldn't think about him as much. But she did. All she had to do was look down at her growing tummy and she immediately thought of him. She did miss him, but she was independent and that was important to her. He had called her a few times the first month she was there, but she didn't answer. It was just too hard. She refused to listen to the voicemails that he would leave, as much as she wanted to hear his voice she knew it would hurt too much. When she started to think about him, she pulled out her sketch book and let the pencil in her fingers take her mind away into another world.

"Are you sure this is the one you want?" Nathan asked as Haley ran her fingers down the dark wooden slats of a crib.

She turned to face him and smiled, "Yeah, I think this is the one. Do you like it?"

"Err, yeah" Nathan said, an unsure smile on his lips. To him all of the cribs looked the same, he didn't get why the crib they chose would be so important.

"I _love_ it Hale's" Brooke smiled, stepping forward placing a hand on Haley's shoulder as she stood next to her. "I think it's perfect."

"Okay!" Haley exclaimed, turning away from the crib to face Jake and Nathan. She clapped her hands together, "This is the one, I'm sure!"

"How about you two get this crib out to the car and we'll meet you there…" Brooke said, grabbing Haley's hand in hers and pulling her away from the isle of cribs.

"Wait?" Jake said quickly as the girls walked away. Brooke stopped, turning her head to look at him. "Where are you two going?"

Brooke raised an eyebrow, "You didn't think we were coming to _help_ did you?" She said with an unbelieving laugh. Jake and Nathan's eyes dropped. "Oh, you did, didn't you?" Brooke giggled, lifting a hand to her mouth. "Nooo, see we just came to make sure you guys got the right crib."

Haley nodded, her hand still wrapped in Brookes, "Yeah, you guys can go home and start setting it up, we'll meet you there in a little while…"

"But-" Nathan shot out.

"Thanks guys, see ya later!" Brooke grinned as her and Haley quickly walked away.

"Where the hell are they going?" Jake asked, confused by what just happened.

"I knew we shouldn't have let them meet us here. We should have picked them up…" Nathan sighed, rolling his eyes.

-----

Brooke and Haley made it back to Naley's apartment a couple of hours later. They figured they should give the guys enough time to set the crib up before they came back.

Haley pushed open the door to their new small house. They had just moved in three months ago and couldn't be happier to be out of the tiny apartment. She dropped her bag on the floor and walked into the quiet living room.

"Honey, I'm home!" Haley called through the house.

Brooke followed Haley into the house, running straight for the bathroom. Haley went upstairs and found Jake and Nathan in the nursery, pushing the finished crib against the wall.

"Looks like you two have been busy" Haley smirked, leaning her back against the doorway.

"You have no idea" Jake mumbled, walking past Haley and out of the nursery.

"It looks good Nate" Haley smiled, walking towards her husband and slinking her hands around his neck.

"Where did you two run off to earlier?" Nathan asked, resting a hand on Haley's side and the other on her big belly. It was hard to believe she was already 7 months pregnant. It scared him to death that pretty soon there would be a baby sleeping in that crib.

"We just went for a little ice cream run" Haley smiled, her fingers playing with the small hairs on the back of his neck.

"Do you guys _have_ to go for an ice cream run _every__day_?" Nathan asked, rubbing his hand on her belly.

"Nathan" Haley said flatly, staring into his eyes.

"Yeah?" He asked, scrunching up his nose.

"Just kiss me…" she demanded, biting on her bottom lip. He laughed slightly before leaning down and catching her lips with his. Nathan quickly deepened the kiss and let his hands room under Haley's shirt. She pulled his lips as hard against hers as she could while she felt his hot fingers trailing up her sides to the bottom of her bra. She groaned against his lips making him smile as his fingers traced the material under her shirt.

"Alright, pregnant girl with a _very_ uneasy stomach in the room!" Brooke announced a few minutes later as she walked into the nursery and found Nathan and Haley almost ready to rip each others clothes off. Haley and Nathan pulled away from each other quickly, Haley's face turning a light shade of pink. "By the way, I don't think you should be doing _that_ in the room Tutor-Baby will soon be sleeping in" Brooke said, raising her eyebrows.

"Sorry" Haley said with a small laugh as she stepped away from a very flustered Nathan.

"I'm just gonna go find Jake" he announced, pointing towards the door and stepping past Brooke as he left the room.

"Looks like Nathan is a little sexually frustrated" Brooke giggled. 

"So we got a little carried away, whatever!" Haley said, running her fingers through her long hair.

"O-kay" Brooke said, her mouth forming into an O. "Anyways, the room looks great Hale's. Tutor Baby is gonna feel right at home!" Brooke said as she walked around the small room that had recently been painted a pale blue color.

Haley rested her hand on her stomach, "I hope so-Oooh Brooke, come here" Haley squealed, reaching for Brooke's hand and pulling her closer. She rested Brooke's hand on her belly keeping her hand on top of Brooke's. "He's kicking, do you feel that?"

Brooke smiled, "Yeah, it's amazing. He kicks so much, how do you think Nathan's gonna feel about his little All-Star playing soccer?" Brooke giggled, taking her hand off of Haley's stomach when the small movements stopped.

Haley raised her eyebrows, "Don't say that to Nathan…"

Brooke's giggles died down, and she rested a hand on her small stomach. "I can't wait till I can feel my baby kick…"

"It'll be soon" Haley smiled, her hands resting on the new crib.

It was times like these that Brooke wished Lucas were there. She couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous watching as Nathan turned the small white room into a nursery for his and Haley's son. It made her sad watching how excited Nathan and Haley got when their baby kicked, or when they went to doctors appointments together. Her and Lucas wouldn't even get a chance to share these moments with each other, and as happy as she was for her best friend, she was still jealous.

"Well Tutor-Mom, it's been great, but I think I should be going. I need to work on some dresses…work calls!" Brooke said in her usual cheery voice.

"Alright, call me tomorrow?" Haley asked, pulling Brooke into a hug, their bellies bumping together.

"Of course," Brooke grinned and left Haley alone in the light blue room.

-----

"Oh my god!" Brooke squealed, throwing her arms around Chae. "I can't believe you are here!"

"I know, I've missed you so much" Chae said in a high pitched screech, her arms wrapped around Brooke. She stepped back, out of the hug and let her eyes wander down to Brooke's stomach. "Okay, so _you've_ gotten _bigger_" Chae laughed, resting a hand on Brooke's growing belly. She leaned her face down, "Hey Brucas Baby" she whispered with a laugh before Brooke pushed her away.

"Okay, stop!" Brooke laughed, "We're in a crowded airport and you are _talking_ to my _stomach_!"

"I just missed you" Chae said with a pout, throwing her arm around Brooke's shoulders.

Brooke wrapped her arm around Chae as well and they began walking through the busy airport. "I'm glad you are here" Brooke smiled, turning her head towards Chae and giving her a smirk. "I know someone else who is glad you are here too…"

Chae's face lit up, her smile growing bigger, "Speaking of…where is he?"

Brooke pursed her lips together, "well he _better_ be getting your suitcase from baggage claim…"

Chae and Brooke laughed and made their way to baggage claim to find Jake. They walked through the crowds of people making sure not to get separated. As they approached the carousel that Chae's luggage was coming off of they spotted a brown head of curls.

Brooke watched Chae's smile go and nudged her with her arm, "Go get him tiger" she said with a laugh, standing back as she pushed her friend ahead.

Chae walked up to Jake, slowly slinking her arms around his waist, his body tightened at first and then he relaxed as she whispered "Hey you" into his neck.

He turned around so that he was facing her and wrapped his arms around the small girl, pulling her towards him. "There you are" he smiled, before leaning down and dropping his lips onto hers.

-----

Jake, Chae and Brooke met Haley and Nathan for dinner later that night. They all got along great, and everyone seemed to like Chae. Haley and Nathan had hung out with her every time she came to visit and they seemed to have a great time. They all agreed that she was a good match for Jake, and she seemed to make him happy. Haley liked Chae, but she still couldn't help but feel jealous of her and Brooke's friendship at times. But she knew she was being silly, her and Brooke had been best friends for as long as she could remember, and she knew her and Brooke _always_ would be best friends no matter what. She was just happy that Chae looked out for Brooke while she was in New York.

"Root beer floats were _such_ a good idea Tutor-Mom" Brooke said, holding up her hand and giving Haley a high five.

"Yes they were" Haley agreed tipping her glass to her mouth in attempt to get what ice cream was left.

"You two eat more ice cream than anyone I know" Jake said, shaking his head. After dinner they had all decided to go to Nathan and Haley's house and hang out. Brooke and Haley both insisted on making root beer floats, but everyone else turned them down saying it was way too cold for ice cream.

"Especially when they are together" Nathan added, "They are like unstoppable."

"We are pregnant!" Haley frowned, in attempt to defend her and Brooke.

Chae giggled, leaning into Jake, her arms wrapped tightly around his middle. "You two do eat a lot of ice cream" Chae sighed, siding with the boys on this one.

"Uh, Chae" Brooke said raising her eyebrows, "You are supposed to be on _our_ side" she said, using her hand to motion between her and Haley. 

"Hoe's over bro's" Haley nodded, holding her fist out which Brooke pounded.

"Here they go again" Nathan groaned, causing all three girls to giggle.

"Hey, let's go catch the highlights from tonight's games on Sports Center" Jake told Nathan as he began walking towards the living room. Nathan nodded in agreement and both boys left the kitchen.

"Well" Brooke sighed, resting a hand on her baby belly. "I'm beat; I think I'll go home. You coming?" She asked Chae.

"I'll have Jake drop me off on his way home" Chae told her.

Brooke nodded and said bye to everyone before leaving. After Brooke left Chae and Haley sat down at the kitchen table.

"So" Chae started, resting her hands flat on the table in front of her. "Lucas came to our apartment last weekend…"

"Are you kidding me?" Haley asked, anger growing in her voice.

"So not kidding" Chae said with a slight laugh.

"What did he want?" Haley groaned. To be honest, she wasn't Lucas' biggest fan. He made stupid choices that were affecting her best friend and that was not okay with her.

"He came looking for Brooke, he didn't know she was here" Chae explained, rolling her eyes.

"She's been here for almost four months" Haley said shaking her head. "God, he's an idiot. I just don't know why he wanted to see her…He's just trying to hurt her, why can't he just let her heal?"

Chae shrugged her shoulders, tapping her fingers on a placemat. "I think he loves her…"

Haley scoffed, rolling her eyes. "He sure doesn't know how to show it." Haley couldn't believe this guy; she couldn't imagine what she'd do to him if she ever met him. "Are you going to tell Brooke that he stopped by?"

Chae pursed her lips and then slowly shook her head. "No, I don't think so. She doesn't need to know. Not yet anyways."

"That's probably a good idea" Haley agreed. "She seems like she's finally starting to get over him, I don't want her to go back to how she was when she first got here…"

Chae nodded sadly remembering how upset Brooke had been after her last encounter with Lucas four months ago. She was pulling for Lucas, and really hoped that he could do what was right.

-----

Chae quietly entered Brooke's house after Jake had dropped her off. She slowly made her way upstairs and as she started to go into the guest bedroom she noticed a flickering light in Brooke's room. She tip-toed towards it, figuring Brooke must've fallen asleep with the TV on. 

As she pushed the door open she noticed Brooke sitting up in bed, one hand on her stomach and the other wiping at her eyes.

"Hey buddy" Chae whispered, walking into the room and climbing onto the bed next to Brooke. Brooke immediately rested her head on Chae's shoulder.

"Have fun?" Brooke asked softly wiping at the tears that were left on her cheeks.

"What's wrong Brookie?" Chae asked, looking towards the TV for the first time. She nodded knowingly after seeing the screen and pulled Brooke towards her. "How's he doing?"

Brooke lifted her head up, "Good I guess…"

"Why are you watching this?" Chae asked, pointing towards the TV.

Brooke shrugged her shoulders, "I just wanna see him, that's all." Brooke looked over at Chae who was now frowning. "I'm fine Chae-bay…promise." She said with a reassuring nod and smile.

"I hope so" Chae said softly, staring at the images on the screen as she kept her arm tight around Brooke.

_There's an awful lot of breathing room_

_But I can hardly move_

* * *

**A/N: So I was pretty excited to see Bevin and Tim married with a baby on the show...I totally _called_ that, for any of you that read my other story These Days, you would know I paired them together...hahahaa I was so excited it happened for reals on the show. I love Bevin and Skillz...but Bevin and Tim is just soo funny! Just to clear something up...Brooke did go home to Tree Hill after talking to Hale's, and she's been there for like four months...Anyways, I hope you guys liked this chapter! Make sure and leave a review so I can update :) Thanks friends. **

**P.S. I thought you all might like to know I'm wearing my 'team dan' shirt at the moment ahhahaa. I also have a 'team brucas' shirt, I love to wear it to OTH parties that my friend (who _loves_ Pucas) always throws. Ohh, its a good time! hahaha!**

**.:Thank You's:.**

**dolcegrazia- You win for being the numero uno reviewer! Way to go! hahhaa! I hope you liked this chapter...and you are right, if we don't fast forward a little bit this story would take _forever_! I'm glad you liked the Baley convo in the last chapter...and I hope you liked all the Baley in this chapter as well! Loovee!**

**Jem (flipflopgal): Heyyy! I usually hate Peyton at _all_ moments hahaa. I hope you liked this chapter! I love that you get excited when I update, its awesome! Thanks for being such a great reviewer! Muah!**

**Brucas True Love- yes, Brucas is true love...I love typing that hahaa. So I hope you liked this chapter. I agree, Peyton and Lucas suck!But luckily Brooke went home to Tree Hill and thatwas good for her! I hope you liked this chapter...Thanks for the review!**

**othfan326- I just got home a couple hours ago and here is your update as promised :)Good dectective work by the way...reading the first chapterover again! And hey anything is possible! I'm glad that you agree that Brucas needs to be strong and not the girl on the side! Thanks for always reviewing, you areawesome!**

**BrucasNaleyLuvr- Hey dude! You were almost the first reviewer, hahaa. But you ended up being 5th, but hey thats good too! I know you PMed me your real review, but I can't remember what it said and I already deleted it...my bad! But you are awesome and you know that...I hoped you liked this chapter and talk to you soon :)**

**lilohb- Yeah, well as long as you are in the craving boat as well then I guess its okay. No really though, still all I can think about is chocolate covered fruit and its been like what over a week? This is horrible! hahaha! Thanks for always reviewing though! LOOVE!**

**reina123- Heeey! I'm glad you are loving the story, you know how happy that makes me right? Well if you don't, it makes me ver happy! like ------------- this happy times infinity! Hahaa! Thanks for being so dedicated and always reviewing :)**

**brucas224- I just watched your video and I liked it a lot! I love that song!I liked your ideas that you mentioned in your review...I have the next couple chapters written, so you'll have to wait and see what happens ;) hehe! Thanks for always reviewing!**

**courtneylovejason- I have two words for you: HOLY MACKANOLY! 392 words...oh...dude...you are on a roll...I think I'm gonna call you butter! hahahahahaaa! Get it? hehe. okay. I love to read your reviews cuzyou totally like read into everything literally and its funny. Like you get all crazy and I love it! You are like the best! Sorry that chapter made you sad, I don't like that!But don't worry, things will get better :) I'm glad my update made your day better, thats awesome :) Well, I hope you enjoyed this update...I seriously love you! haha!**

**brucas333- Hahaha,I love your review 'well...at least they had sex' hahahaaa. Oh boy. I love you. End of story. hahaha!**

**carebearxo8- I'm glad you are liking the story so far. You want to see more Brathan? I like their friendship too so I will definitely add some in for you! I have the next few chapters written already, but I'll definitely have some more Brathan coming up...I really like hearing what you guys want, I'm here to make you happy! hahaa! Thanks for always reviewing, you are so sweet!**

**onetreehillgirl066- hahhaaha. That demand was even _better_ than the first...it reminded me of that video on YouTube called something like suicide peyton...hahaha. Its funny, you should watch it if you haven't :)**

**bella- thanks a billion for your review. I agree with basically everything you said in it! I hope you liked this last chapter...Thank you for always taking the time to review!**

**Brucasfan23- I love that you lovemy story! hehe!That totally makes me happy, you have no idea. Now that I think about it...Kade and Peyton are like perfect. Maybe Brooke should set them up on a blind date.hahahaa.They would be almost as good of amatch as Peyton/Psycho Derek(who I think is perfect for Peyton lol.)**

**LoVeBrucas- Dude you can totally cry in class...who cares if people think you are weird! hahaha! JK. I hate it, sometimes I'll like randomly start crying at work...its pretty embarrassing! But then its like funny too so I end up like cry/laughing. Anyways, like you wanted to know that hahaha. I hope you liked this last chapter! I love getting your reviews, they always entertain me! hehe! Thankkkkss!**

**brucas2008- amen sister! Thank you SO much for your review. It totally made my day. I am soooo happy to hear that youthink that I am being realistic with the story, cuz thats really what I want. Like even though everyone wants Brucas to be together, it has to be done in a real way and I'm so glad you realize that. Seriously, that review like made me sooo happy. Thanks sooo much! I reallly hope you liked this last chapter. It is now officially your job to let me know if I'm being realistic or not :)**

**Chasity (chasitybsp)- Hey, I got the email and I liked that video a lot! Thanks a ton for sending it tome...it was very interesting. Good to know that Mark is still open minded...even though I get a feeling that he's not lol. But it was still refreshing. Anyways, thank you sooo much for your review. I always worry that I'm not being realistic in my story, and that is one thing that I try really hard to do. Even though everyone wants Brucas together, they can't just be together...stuff happens and they have to work through it lol. Now I'm just rambling. But thank you soo much for your review! And for the video!**

**Cassss (CheerandBrood323)- Hey dude. Whats up? Hahaa, still waiting for the song lol. Kidding, I know you are busy! But you best be sending it to me once it is written. hahaha iloveyou. Oh, and ps I hate peyt-hoe too...and you can never say it enough :)**

**BrOoKe DaViS23- Nooo, you are awesomely awesome :) hahahaa bevin and tim. Oh man that like made my week. I love Skevin too, but I think bevin and tim is just soooo funny! I totally predicted that without even thinking it was a possibility and so I was excited! And they named their kid _Nathan_ baaahhaaahaha. That was great. And the picture of baby Nathan...that kid was sorta fugly lol.**

**Sarrrraa (brucas2006)- Hey buddy! So your review was freaking long hahaahaaa. I love it. Seriously, you are like the best...but you know that! I'm excited to be home from Vaca and on Spring Break all week...I sooo am going to catch up on One Last Kiss and I can't wait! Good thing you like organize your review so that the actual review part isn't a big rambling mess hahaha. ily. And hey, at least lucas is a cute ass hahaha. Anyways, thanks for always being like the best ever and yeah you are just awesome! BRF! hahahaa...best ramblers forver!That is totally our new slogan...hahahaaaha**

**chebelle- awwwI love your reviews! Seriously, Ialways look forward to them.Lucas is well on his way to redeeming himself trust me. hahahaa. Anyways, I hope you loved thischapter, or at least liked it hahahacuzI love hearing from you!lovelovelove!**

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- how could I forget? Like for reals...Pucas equals throw up. It sounds like another word for throw up hahahaa. I hope you liked this update. P.S. brucas equals love...hehehehe! xoxox!**

**Katherine- Okay, so I know you'll actually be reading this chapter for sure (at least I hope you will) since you haven't read it previously! I'm just gonna respond to the review for the last chapter that you e-mailed me...hahaha 'game on bitch' that was like my favorite part of your review just so you know lol. I think Brooke should use the same line with peyton in the actual show, even though I am really enjoying Owen, but I'm not gonna get into that now ahhaa. I enjoyed your review and loved hearing your thoughts on the chapter. hahaha draaaaama. geez. does it ever end? hahaha. Loooove!**

Thanks again everyone! XOXOXLinds


	18. Are You Serious?

**A/N: So I was gonna wait till tomorrow to update, but I kinda got bored so I decided to do it now! The song in this chapter is called 'Goodnight, Goodnight' by Hot Hot Heat! Umm, this chapter fast-forwards again...just trying to speed things up a little hahaa. Thank you's are at the bottom. I hope you all like this chapter! **

_So goodnight, goodnight_

_You're embarassing me,_

_You're embarassing you._

_So goodnight, goodnight_

_Walk away from the door,_

_Walk away from my life,_

_So goodnight._

**Chapter Eighteen- Are You Serious?**

Chae skipped into Brooke's bedroom holding a tall strawberry smoothie.

"Hey" Chae smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed and handing the foam cup to a very anxious Brooke.

"Thanks Chae" Brooke grinned. She took her foot off of the sewing machine pedal and immediately started sucking on the straw in her drink. She parted her lips from the straw, "You are the best. This is _so_ good!" Brooke confessed, tipping the smoothie towards Chae.

Chae grinned, flipping her hair behind her shoulder, "I know!" Chae rested her smoothie against her legs. "How's the dress coming?"

Brooke set her cup on the desk, "It's going good. I'm finally getting caught up on all of the orders that I have…"

Chae nodded, "Well, that's good. I'm really glad you are back…Even if I do have to hear that damn machine at all hours of the day _and_ night!"

Brooke's eyes grew wide, "Aww, thanks Chae" she said, placing a hand over her heart and trying not to giggle. "You are just so sweet!" Brooke said through gritted teeth as she leaned over and pinched one of Chae's cheeks.

Chae laughed pushing Brookes hand away from her. "So, two more months huh?" Chae questioned, looking towards Brooke's belly.

Brooke looked down, running a hand over her stomach, "Yeah…how crazy is that?"

Chae sighed; she then smiled still staring at Brooke's big belly, "I can't _wait_ to meet Brucas Baby…"

Brooke raised her eyebrows at Chae, "Can you please stop calling my baby that!"

Chae poked out her lip knowing that Brooke didn't like the nickname anymore. "Sorry…"

Brooke shrugged, hugging her arms around her belly, "Its okay…" Brooke released her hands and flattened out her shirt that was hanging over her big belly. "Well, I better get back to work!" She said her cheery voice returning as she took another drink of her smoothie before turning back to her sewing machine.

-----

The next day Brooke woke up to her phone ringing noisily. She grabbed the pillow next to her, keeping her eyes shut. She covered her face with the pillow and waited for the ringing to stop. She smiled sleepily once the annoying tone ended and placed an arm around her belly, snuggling back to a comfortable position on her bed. 

A few seconds after the sound had stopped; it started up again making her groan. She waited once more for the ringing to end, and when it finally did she let out a long sigh keeping her eyes shut tightly. 

When the phone started to ring for the third time she moaned, throwing the pillow off of her that had been covering her face. She opened her eyes and kicked the blankets off of her, cursing her phone. Her baby had been kicking her all night and when the kicking finally stopped she actually was getting good sleep. But of course that _had_ to be ruined by her stupid ringing phone! She made a mental note to turn her phone off when it was time for sleeping.

She reached the phone that was still ringing loudly and saw 'Natey' flashing across the screen. 

"This better be good Mr." She said sleepily into the phone after she flipped it open.

"_Sorry…Uh…Brooke" Nathan said sounding a little bit panicked._

"Mmm?" She moaned her voice raspy, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"_The baby…" he choked out, "Haley's having the baby!"_

Brooke's eyes shot open at this, "Are you serious?"

"_Yeah, we just…uh…got here" Nathan said, his voice shaky. "They said she'd have him within the hour…She wanted me to call you…"_

Brooke laughed, her hand moving to her stomach. "Its okay Nate…calm down."

"_God Brooke," Nathan groaned, "I'm not ready to be a dad!"_

Brooke sighed, "You are to Nate…now go in there and be with Hale's. Send her my love…and call me after she has the baby."

"_Okay…bye Brooke" Nathan said, clicking the phone off._

Brooke laughed and shook her head. Poor Nathan, he acted like such a tough guy all the time, but he really could be scared. She couldn't believe that her best friend was actually having a baby. 

She quickly went into the living room and turned on her laptop. After it got booted up she connected to the internet and checked the flights to Tree Hill. She decided to go in two weeks, giving Nathan and Haley a little bit of time to get adjusted to having a new baby. She purchased her ticket and turned off the computer deciding now that she was awake she might as well get some work done.

-----

Brooke was standing in line in a tiny coffee shop that was down the street from her apartment building. She had found this place a few weeks ago right after she got back from Tree Hill and discovered that they had the _best_ Italian Sodas. She ordered her drink, a lemon-lime flavored Italian Soda and walked toward a small counter to get some napkins. She licked some of the whipped cream that was adorning her drink when she heard someone say her name.

"Brooke?" she heard a mans voice from behind her say.

She scrunched her face, turning around to be faced with the last person she'd ever thought she'd see here. "Kade?"

She watched his smile drop as his eyes scanned her and landed on her very pregnant belly. "Oh my god" he choked out, his hand dropping to his side spilling the coffee that he was holding.

"Uh, Kade" Brooke said, pointing to the cup and the hot liquid that was spilling out. He looked down to where she was pointing and shook his head lifting the now half empty cup.

"You're um…you're uh-"

"Pregnant" Brooke said with a smile, shrugging her shoulders as if it were no big deal.

Kade kept shaking his head, obviously in shock of what he was seeing and hearing.

Brooke kept the smile on her face, sort of enjoying Kade's reaction. He just stood there like an idiot, spilling his coffee and everything, and she couldn't help but find it amusing.

She walked over to a tiny table and sat down watching as Kade still stared at her in shock. She started sucking on the straw in her drink and watched as Kade finally moved towards her, sitting in the chair across from her.

"What?" she asked with a laugh, raising her eyes at him.

"You're pregnant" he said almost in a way of confirming it to himself.

"Yes…"

"Is it-"

Brooke bit her lip and looked down at her drink; of course he was going to wonder if it was his. She was huge, for all he knew _he_ could've gotten her pregnant. "No," she answered quickly, "No Kade, the baby isn't yours."

"So it's that _guys_" Kade spat out, disgust in his voice.

Brooke smiled at him nervously, one hand holding her drink and the other placed protectively over her stomach. "Yeah, it is."

Kade brought a hand up to his head, "God, you are unbelievable Brooke."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I didn't plan this, I mean if _that's_ what you are thinking. It just happened. And technically I got pregnant after we broke up…" She sighed, figuring at least she had that. Technically she broke up with Kade while she was in Tree Hill when she was talking to him on the phone. And her baby wasn't conceived until she got back to New York…that had made her feel a _little_ better.

"And is that supposed to make you cheating on me ok?" He asked, a little bit of hurt in his voice.

"No, its not" Brooke said flatly. "What I did wasn't okay…"

"You aren't going to try and blame it on me?" Kade asked, confused and surprised.

"Nope" she sighed, "I'm over that Kade. I take responsibility for my actions. You were a really big part of my life, I don't hate you…you were a great part of my life for a long time, we just didn't work out."

"Yeah, I guess so." He said, looking down at the table.

"So how are you doing?" Brooke asked, changing the subject.

"I've been alright," Kade shrugged.

"How's basketball? The team?" Brooke asked, looking from his eyes down to her drink, "Lucas?"

Kade's eyes shot up, "why are you asking about _Lucas_?"

Brooke quickly shook her head, standing from the table. "No reason. I gotta go, it was good seeing you" she said with a wave, her heels clicking against the tile floor as she hurried out of the coffee shop.

Kade sat there confused for a few minutes as his mind started to wander. He slowly began putting pieces together, without realizing what it all really meant…

-----

Brooke and Chae were sitting up to the counter, eating dinner.

"This has been the craziest day ever" Brooke said, looking over at Chae and giving her a funny look.

"Yeah, I heard from Jake that Nathan and Haley had their baby" Chae smiled, poking her fork into a cut piece of chicken.

Brooke smiled, thinking about her tiny new godson, "Yeah, they did. I can't wait to see him" she gushed.

"Jake said he's really cute." Chae said, looking over at Brooke. "What did they name him?"

"They named him Max" Brooke smiled. She took a bite of her chicken and then placed her fork down on her plate. "You are never going to believe who I ran into today…"

Chae looked over at Brooke, her eyes wide. "Who? Lucas?"

Brooke shook her head lightly, "Nope…Kade…"

Chae dropped her fork, making it bang loudly against the plate. "No!"

Brooke nodded, her eyebrows raised, "Yeah…it was horrible! He was like freaking out cause he noticed I'm pregnant. He thought the baby was his…"

"You didn't tell him it was Lucas' did you?"

"No way" Brooke said, practically choking on her food. "But I kinda might have asked him how Lucas was doing" Brooke said, flinching a tiny bit.

"Brooke! Are you crazy?" Chae said, throwing her hands in the air.

"I know!" Brooke groaned, covering her face with her hands. "I can't believe I said that…it just kinda..._slipped_!"

"Well, what did he say?" Chae asked, still in shock that Brooke would mention Lucas to Kade. As far as Kade knew, Brooke had no idea who Lucas even was. As far as Kade knew, the two had only been introduced and Brooke probably didn't even remember Lucas.

"He looked all confused and I ran out" Brooke shrugged.

"I have a feeling things are about to get interesting…" Chae sighed, resting her elbow on the counter.

-----

Kade sat in the locker room after their game was over. He couldn't believe that Brooke was pregnant. When he saw her that afternoon he figured it must have been a joke. He then had the idea that it might be his baby, and he couldn't help but be a little bit happy about that. He figured if it was his baby Brooke would _have_ to be with _him_. But then after finding out it wasn't his, but the guy that Brooke had been cheating on him with…well that just made him more than angry. But the one thing he couldn't figure out is why she had asked how Lucas was? She didn't even know Lucas….

"We totally kicked ass tonight" Kyle bragged, walking into the locker room with a couple of guys from the team.

"We have _owned_ this season" another one of the guys said, lifting a hand and giving Kyle a high five.

Kade grabbed his water bottle and popped open the top. He squirted a long stream of the water into his mouth. He saw Lucas walking in and almost choked on the water he was drinking. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Peyton lately. Weren't they supposed to be the happy couple? Brooke had been acting weird whenever they went to basketball functions when they were dating, could it have been because of Lucas? Lucas did act different around him right after Brooke moved to New York.

Kade's eyes grew wide. He threw the water bottle down on the bench and stood up, walking towards Lucas who was pulling a jacket on over his uniform.

"Brooke asked about you today" Kade said, his voice deep and intimidating. All he needed was a reaction from Lucas...

Lucas looked up, his eyes hopeful. He then realized it was Kade talking to him and he reverted his eyes, looking at the ground. "Brooke? Why? Did you see her?"

Kade laughed. "Yeah, I did see her. She's fucking _pregnant_" Kade growled, right before his fist came in contact with Lucas' jaw.

Lucas raised his body back up, immediately punching Kade in the nose. Their hands were immediately all over each other, there was fists flyingand blood dripping. A couple of the guys from the team reacted quickly and pulled Kade away from Lucas. Lucas lifted a finger up to his lip where a small line of blood was trickling. From the looks of Kade, he had a broken nose.

"What the hell was that for?" Lucas shouted, raising his hands in the air.

"That was for you sleeping with my girlfriend" Kade yelled, trying to get away from the two guys that had a hold of him. "Way to go knocking the slut up" Kade said, glaring at Lucas.

Lucas stepped towards Kade, his fist making contact with Kade's face once more. "Don't you _ever_ call her that" Lucas said, walking away before one of the other guys could hold him off of Kade. If Kade's nose wasn't broken before it definitely was now.

"What the hell is going on in here?" The teams coach yelled as he walked into the locker room that Lucas was trying to leave. He took a look at Lucas and grabbed his jacket. "You aren't going anywhere Scott…"

Lucas lowered his eyes and was pulled back into the locker room by the coach.

"We have two and a half months left this season!" Coach yelled, all of the guys sitting around him, including a bloody Kade and a swollen lipped Lucas. "You two are _not_ going to ruin this for me and the rest of your team, I don't care what girl you are fighting over!" He said, his voice growing louder and angrier with each word. "I don't want you two anywhere near each other, but you will play as a _team_ when on the court! If this happens again, you will both be _benched_ for the _rest_ of the season!" he warned, shaking a finger as he paced back and forth in front of the whole team. "Did I make myself clear?"

Lucas and Kade both mumbled a yes and the coach nodded before leaving.

"You are _lucky_ basketball means so much to me or you could say goodbye to your jaw" Kade growled through gritted teeth before leaving with Kyle and another guy on each side of him.

"Says the guy with the _broken_ nose" Lucas yelled at Kade's back as he left.

-----

Brooke was working on her clothes when her cell phone buzzed next to her on the desk. She lifted it up and saw that she had a text message from Lucas. She rolled her eyes, and went to delete it. For some reason before she pressed the delete button she decided maybe she should read it. After her little run in with Kade and her little asking about Lucas slip up, she thought Lucas' text might be important. She knew they had a game tonight, she had watched it, and so Lucas and Kade had obviously been together.

She opened the message and her jaw dropped as she read it.

_Kade knows._

Two little words, and Brooke didn't know what to think.

"Chae!" Brooke yelled, dropping the phone back onto the desk. It was still opened and she hadn't even exited the text message yet.

"Yeah? You okay?" Chae asked, hurrying into Brooke's room.

"Lucas just texted me…" Brooke said, her face pale.

"And?"

"He said Kade knows…"

"Kade knows what?" Chae asked, scrunching her nose in confusion.

"I don't know, but I think he knows about me and Luke…I mean, what else would it be?" Brooke asked, running a hand through her hair nervously.

"Ask Lucas, ask him what he meant!" Chae demanded, sitting down on Brooke's bed.

Brooke nodded; she had to know for sure what Lucas was talking about.

_Knows what?_ Brooke texted back and set her phone down waiting for a reply

Chae and Brooke stared at the phone until it started buzzing.

_Knows about __**us**__. Knows the baby is __**mine**_

"He knows" was all Brooke said, dropping the phone back down and burying her face in her hands.

-----

Lucas sat at his old house, holding a package of frozen vegetables to his swollen lip. He couldn't believe what had happened today. But one thing that he did know was that he needed to sort out his life. He was going to get Brooke back; he didn't care what he had to do to show her that he cared. Now that Kade knew about him and Brooke, it just gave him the extra push he needed to sort his life out. He figured if he could live through Kade finding out, then he could deal with everyone else finding out as well.

He stood up from the table and put his phone back in his pocket. It had been a half hour since Brooke had last texted him, and she obviously wasn't going to text him back. He grabbed his jacket and left the house.

He had to find Peyton. He had to end it with her tonight, no matter what the repercussions would be. He stopped at their apartment first, but she wasn't there. He drove around for awhile, wondering where else she would be. It was a tough call…she could be at any random bar or with one of her friends. It was already 11 pm and there was a chance he could be driving around all night trying to find her.

Suddenly an idea popped into his head. She was opening her small art gallery next week. She had been working on the small space that she had rented for it for a while now. The only reason he knew this was because paying for it was coming out of _his_ pocket. She was really looking forward to showing her art work and hopefully selling it, so of course she would be there.

He turned his truck around and drove towards Manhattan where her gallery was.

He parked his truck in the parking garage that was right next to her building. The buildings door was open and he rode the elevator up to the second floor where her gallery was. When the elevator doors opened he saw the shiny wood floors glowing in the bright yellow light. There wasn't any art work hung up yet, but in the back of the studio the door to the office was opened slightly and there was a light on inside. 

He walked to the door and slowly pushed it open.

"What the hell" he yelled, looking in at his 'wife' who was with three other guys. There was a thick stack of cash sitting on the small coffee table and three bags of a white substance next to it. Peyton was holding a CD and a razor blade. There were two thin lines of white powder on top of the CD and her eyes were bloodshot.

One of the guys looked up at Lucas, and then back at Peyton. "Alright" the guy said in a thick New York accent, "If that's good for you…which it obviously was, then we are gonna go now" he said, grabbing the stack of bills and slipping it into a pocket inside his jacket.

"Lucas, I can explain" Peyton said slowly, her voice deep and low.

"Good doing business with you" The second guy said. The two men scooted past Lucas and left the building, leaving Peyton sitting with another guy that looked pretty stoned.

"Was that a drug deal?" Lucas asked, already knowing the answer.

"Lucas" Peyton drawled, waving the razor blade around in the air. "It was _nothing_…"

"Yeah dude, _chiiiill_" the guy that was leaning back into the couch said slowly.

"Peyton, I need to thank you, because you just made my life _a lot_ easier" Lucas said with a laugh, shaking his head. "Thank god I had 'security cameras' installed in your office and throughout the gallery."

"What?" Peyton said, shrugging her shoulders.

Lucas pointed towards the corner of the office where there was a tiny black dot looking thing. "Your little drug deal, it was all caught on tape."

Peyton threw the CD, causing white powder falling onto the clean ground. 

"You are _so_ stupid" Lucas laughed, starting to enjoy this. He watched Peyton react slowly to the news. "You just screwed yourself over…I'll talk to you when you're sober." He told her, pointing at the tiny camera once more before giving her a thumbs up and leaving the room.

-----

The next day Lucas sat in his and Peyton's apartment, drinking a cup of coffee and waiting for her to come home. He was reading the newspaper when he heard the door open. He reached for the remote in front of him and pressed Play.

Peyton walked in the living room and lazily sat on a chair. Her hair was messy, the curls were starting to frizz and it looked like a perm gone bad…_really_ bad. She was wearing a baggy grey tank top with a red plaid shirt over it. She had on brown pants that just looked dirty, and if Lucas didn't know better, he'd think that she had robbed a homeless guy.

"Nice of you to join me" Lucas smiled, lifting his cup of coffee towards her.

She smiled smugly at him and then turned her attention to the TV. She was surprised when she saw herself on the television along with Gary, the guy she had been hooking up with randomly. She was sitting on top of him and they were kissing, this, she could tell, was from last night at her office.

"What the hell is this?" Peyton growled pointing towards the TV.

"Shh" Lucas demanded, lifting a finger to his lips. "Just watch it gets better…"

She turned to the TV and as if on cue, two tall men with black hair walked into the room, disrupting Peyton and Gary.

"Are you serious?" Peyton asked, standing from the chair.

"Yeah," Lucas shrugged, pausing the TV so there was a still picture of one of the men handing a small baggie to Peyton. "Looks like the whole drug deal was caught on camera. What a shame!"

"You are such a-"

"Free man?" Lucas questioned, holding a finger up to his chin as if in thought. "Yeah, I like the sound of that."

"Are you _blackmailing_ me?" She yelled, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"Looks that way doesn't it?" Lucas smirked, squinting his eyes. "But what _you_ are going to do is file for divorce. You aren't going to fight it or ask for alimony. You get _nothing_."

"Or?" She questioned, tapping her foot.

"_Or_, your little drug deal goes public and you can say goodbye to your art studio and hello to jail" Lucas smirked, "You can be someone's _bitch_ in a four by four cell for all I care!"

Peyton shook her head back and forth, not believing that this was actually happening. Her angry face turned into a frown and then back into a scowl. "Yeah, well I have pictures of you and Brooke!" Peyton retorted.

"Pictures…video" Lucas said, lifting up each hand if it were a scale. "Illegal drug deal…not illegal cheating…hmm…that's a tough one" Lucas nodded, lifting the left hand higher, "I think my video wins…"

Peyton slumped back down into the chair, thinking about her options.

"All you do is ask for a divorce. I'll let you keep the art studio and won't make you pay me back for it…you can keep the apartment and everything in it, but you aren't going to try and get anything else out of me" Lucas told her, "Oh, and the pictures of me and Brooke…destroy them."

"That's asking for a lot" Peyton growled, not daring to look at the TV screen.

"Yeah, I guess it is. Maybe I should just give a copy of this tape to the authorities…" Lucas said with a shrug.

Peyton stood up quickly, shaking her head. "No" she said quickly, "I'll file for divorce."

Lucas smiled, "Great."

"You win Lucas" Peyton said, shaking her head.

"You did this to yourself" Lucas said, smiling at her as he ejected the video tape and left the apartment.

-----

A week and a half later Brooke was sitting at Nathan and Haley's house holding the tiny new baby.

He was sleeping soundly in her arms while he sucked on a pacifier. His bald head was covered by a tiny blue beanie and he was wrapped in a soft blanket.

"He's so tiny" Brooke grinned, rocking the baby back and forth. "And cute. He's _so_ cute!"

"I know" Haley sighed, staring at the baby lovingly. "You'll have one of these soon…"

Brooke just smiled, and awkwardly rocked the baby that was held just above her pregnant belly. "These two are gonna make all sorts of trouble" Brooke grinned, referring to her baby and baby Max.

"Hopefully you have a girl, and then they can get married!" Haley grinned, clapping her hands together.

"Gross, Haley, they are going to be pretty much _family_" Brooke said, making a gross face at her friend. "Max, don't listen to your silly mommy" Brooke cooed at the baby.

Haley stuck her tongue out at Brooke making her laugh. 

Just then Brooke's phone started ringing.

"Hale's, will you grab that?" Brooke asked, her hands full with the baby.

Haley just nodded and went to retrieve the phone. She answered it without looking at the screen.

"Hello!" Haley sang into the phone.

_"Can I talk to Brooke?" the guys' voice said._

"Sure" Haley smiled. She didn't notice the voice and was curious to who it was but just handed the phone to Brooke. Brooke gave Max back to Haley in exchange for the phone.

"This is Brooke" she said cheerily into the phone.

_"Brooke, its Lucas, don't hang up!"_

Brooke groaned, wondering how she got tricked into talking to him. She hadn't talked to him for almost 6 months. 

"What do you want?" She asked unhappily into the phone.

_"I just wanted you to be the first to know, me and Peyton are getting divorced. We signed the papers today" he announced._

Brooke's jaw dropped, she was pretty much in shock. "I'm happy for you Lucas, I really am. But I gotta go" she choked out. Sure she was happy that Lucas was getting divorced, but that was just one step. It took six months of her not talking to him for him to get a divorce, and she didn't want him to think she just sat here waiting for him. Because she hadn't, and she didn't need him.

_"Can I see you?" He asked, his voice sounding nervous._

"I don't know Luke…" she sighed, was it so bad that she wanted him to fight for her? "I'll just talk to you later" she told him before closing the phone.

"Who was that?" Haley asked, bouncing baby Max.

"Lucas…" Brooke said, biting on her lip. "He's getting divorced and wants to see me…" she explained.

Haley sighed, "Please tell me you aren't just going to run back to that, that, that jerk!"

Brooke slowly shook her head, trying to take in all of the information. Lucas had left his wife, finally. She couldn't decide if she was happy or upset about that. Right when she was getting over him, he had to drop that bombshell on her. She didn't know what to think. One thing that she did know was that she still didn't trust him. She _couldn't_ trust him; she didn't want to get hurt again.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so how was it? I think you've all been waiting for this chapter for a long long time so I hope it worked for all of you! hahaa! So just to explain a few things, at the beginning of the chapter Brooke has been back in NY for about a month...she is now like 7 months pregnant! I know some of you are frustrated with Lucas, but he knows that its no use to contact Brooke until he has his life sorted out...thats why it took so long for him to call her! Oh, and I just wanted to makeit clear, the song lyrics were focused towards Pucas...not Brucas haha.Anyways, make sure and review, tell me what you thought :) Love you guys to death!**

**.:Thank You's:.**

**dolcegrazia- why hello numero uno reviewer _again_! Geez, I don't know how you do it hahaa. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't love it, cuz I do! hahaa! Annnyywaaays! I'm glad you are liking the Baley and the hmmm...Chooke? Brae? hahaha Brooke/Chae! Wow! So yeah now that I've totally went nutzo, thannnk you for always being an amazing reviewer!**

**onetreehillgirl066- Hey miss demanding! Hahaa! I think you are funny, and to be honest, I look forward to your demands! I like both of your demands this time...I'll keep them in mind ;) thanks for the review hahaa.**

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- Hey, so it's my favorite Cass! I'm so sorry to hear about your bro :( that seriously is just sooo sad. I hope you and your family and your brother are all doing okay, well as okay as possible! I was so sad to read about what happened! But thats awesome you got an ipod touch! They are pretty neat, my friend just got one and I like have issues using it hahhaa I'll just stick with my normal ipod haha. I think it's pretty cool that you can like get on the internet on the touches though...awesome you wrote your review from it! seriously, props to you! I hope everything is going well! ILY! Oh and thanks for reviewing!**

**courtneylovejason- Hahaha I effing love you and your long reviews, seriously they like make my world! hahahaa! I love reading your thought process while you read, it is so funny! Like you totally crack me up, I love your reviews! Oh, did you end up seeing Chae in the episode the other night? haha, I wish she was in it! I like laughed my face off when I read that, you are seriously so funny! Jake and Chae will now be officially referred to as Chake :) hehehe. Oh, and I will definitely go check out your fic after I post this chapter :) I look forward to reading it! Ps...thanks for always being a dedicated, funny, amazing reviewer ahhaa!**

**reina123- Thank you for the review! I love reading reviews like that, small...simple...and to the point! Really, thank you sooo much! I hope you liked this chapter as well!**

**othfan326- Thank you for your review. It's always good to see what you guys are reading and thinking, cuz this story is mostly for all of you! Just partly for me ;) hahaa. I hope you liked this chapter and that I did it justice...make sure and let me know, I love hearing what you think!**

**brucasforever08- Thank you for your review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well :)**

**LoVeBrucas- I am sooo glad you love Chae! Its kinda scary introducing a fictional character that has such a big part in the story...and so I'm glad that you like her! I always worry about that with Chae's character! And P.S. when I give my acadamy award winning speech for this story, you will be the very first one I thank! No, but really, that makes me feel honored that you like my story that much, like it just blows me away! ily and thank you for always being such an amazing reviewer, I always look forward to hearing from you. I hope you liked this chapter...druggie peyton is my favorite kind of peyton hahaaa.**

**brucas3- heeeey! I swear Lucas is never thinking! I'm kind of mad at him right now, and I take it out in my story if you cant tell hahaha! Anyways, thank you for reviewing! You are awesome!**

**Jem (flipflopgal)- Hey buddy! So all I have to say is you better have loved this chapter hahaha ily**

**sweetchristie03- Dude, I'm glad you like Bevin/Tim too hahahaaaa! It's just so funny! hehee. I'm glad you are backed, missed you last chapter hahaa. But thank you for always reviewing and just being so great!**

**lilohb- You know what sounds reaaaally good...cheesecake dipped in melted chocolate! I want it! hahaha. But I agree with you Lucas is a dummie. Hmmm, I bet Lucas would taste good dipped in chocolate! Hahaa!**

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- hahaha so how much do you love me for this chapter?**

**chebelle- I think you should just finish writing this story ahaha. You have all the right ideas! Ps I miss Brucas too! And I'm sooo glad you like Chae, that rocks my world. So this chapter is the beginning of the uphill battle of things getting better fro Brucas so that is sooo good, right? hahaha thanks for always reviewing, they always tend to entertain me, which is fabulous! Oh, and I'm so happy this is one of your favorite fics :)**

**erika- Thank you for your review! I absolutely loved it! Sometimes, all I want to do is eat ice cream 24/7, it solves like every problem! hehe! I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Chasity (chasitybsp)- Hahaha I loved your review. I especially loved the ending of it...that was my favorite part! hehehe. I hope you liked this chapter, which I'm sure you did...who wouldn't?**

**bella- Thanks for always reviewing! I really hope you liked this chapter...Lucas is on his way to fixing his stupid life haha. **

**Brucas True Love- Lucas is an idiot...but at least he's easy on the eyes hahahaa. Anyways, thanks for your review!**

**Sara (brucas2006)- Hey friend! My favorite rambler friend!Hahahaa I love your rambling, makes me feel comfortable hahaa. I always love reading your reviews, they make me laugh, I love it! All we need is for Lucas to be great is right! I hope you liked this chapter, I'm sure you did though! Anyways, after I post this update I am going to go read like every single chapter of One Last Kiss before I go to sleep, and that is just how it has to be! I like can't wait like really hahaa. I'm getting excited! BRF!**

**BrOoKe DaViS23- Yaaay for getting your laptop back! I bet you are sooo super happy! Lucas is bugging me on the show too...he seriously is soooo annoying its like hard to watch him! He's like such a baby! Boo-hoo poor Lucas blahblahblah! hahah okay so I got off track! Anyways thank you for your review! lovelovelove!**

**Katherine- Okay, so I really super hope you like how this chapter turned out! I always get so nervous, I don't know why but I do! Thank you for your last review, as you know, I love hearing what you have to say and I totally value your opinnion like a lot a lot! So thank you sooo much! Thanks for always being so helpful. I can't wait to see what you thought about this chapter, I really hope it worked!**

**brucas2008- Awww, thank you for your review! Makes me soo happy! I love that you love this story and you find it to be believable..that is like the best thing to hear ever...was this chapter realistic? You'll have to let me know!**

**brucas333- you crack me up! I love your reviews! I hope you liked this chapter, it moved kinda fast but whatever! Thanks for always reviewing!**

**carebearxo8-I'm soo glad that you are still loving the story! I am getting excited for yours too hahaa. I hope you liked this chapter...oh and I'm excited you called the tim/bevin thing too...baaahhaahahaa!**

**brucasnaleyluvr- I know you reviewed to me in a PM but I can't remember what it said other than FF wouldn't let you review. WTF is wrong with them hahaha. I haven't talked to you for a few days! Where the heck are you! Come baaack! hehee.**

Once again, thank you to everyone! XOXOXLindsss


	19. Come Together

**A/N: Happy weekend everyone! Sooo excited that its friday :) I'm so excited that I'm updating for you guys! I think I might update too fast hahah but whatever I get excited! So the song in this chapter is Over and Over Again by Tim Mcgraw and Nelly! Sooo I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and have a _great_ weekend!!**

_I can't wait to see you_

_Want to see if you still got that look in your eyes_

_That one you had for me before we said our goodbyes_

**Chapter Nineteen- Come Together**

Brooke only stayed in Tree Hill for three days before she had to come home to New York. She was sad to leave Haley, Nathan and baby Max, but she had to get home to get ready for her baby. She wanted to get all caught up on all of her Clothes Over Bro's orders and she needed to get some baby shopping done. 

"Is this the one you needed?" Chae asked, coming into Brooke's room with a large spool of dark purple silk.

"That's the one" Brooke smiled, reaching for the spool of fabric.

"Well, I'm off to work. So I'll see you later?" Chae asked, her purse slung over her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'll be here…I just have a doctors appointment this afternoon then I'll be home" Brooke told her as she pinned the skirt she was working on.

"Do you want me to come with?" Chae asked. She had been to almost all of Brooke's doctors' appointments with her. Jake even went to a few of them. And when Brooke was in Tree Hill for those four months Haley or Nathan would go with her. Between all of them, they made sure she never had to go alone.

Brooke smiled softly, "No, I'll be fine. Thanks though…"

"Call me if you need me, muah!" Chae told her, blowing a kiss as she left the room.

Brooke laughed and then went back to her work. She really was happy that Chae looked out for her, but sometimes she just wanted to be treated like an adult. Everyone thought they had to walk on egg shells around her, but she really was okay.

She tapped her pen on the desk and chewed on her bottom lip while she stared at her phone that was sitting across from her. She finally reached for her phone and flipped it open. She quickly punched in the seven numbers that she wanted and pushed the call button. She brought the phone up to her ear and listened to it ring.

"_Hello?" the voice on the other end sounded._

"Hey" Brooke said softly, a tiny, nervous smile on her lips.

"_Brooke? Hey, how are you?" Lucas asked, surprised that she had called him._

"I'm good" Brooke nodded. "Anyways, the reason I am calling…I have a doctor's appointment today for the baby, and I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go. If you're busy it's no big deal…"

"_Really? I can come?" Lucas asked, surprise and excitement radiating through his voice._

Brooke laughed a little, "Yeah, you can come" she said, shrugging. She wasn't doing this for her, but for Lucas and her baby. She figured it was only fair that he got to go to at least one doctor's appointment, and as hard as it would be to see him…she knew she was doing the right thing.

"_Thank you Brooke" Lucas grinned. "What time is it at?"_

"It's in an hour; at 12:30…do you think you can make it?" She asked, tapping the pen she was holding against the desk.

"_Yeah, of course…do you want me to pick you up?"_

Brooke bit on her lip, "How about I just meet you there? It's in the pediatric center of the hospital…"

_Lucas nodded, "Alright, I'll see you there. Thanks again Brooke."_

"No problem" she said with a smile before hanging up the phone.

She took a deep breath, setting her phone down on the table. She couldn't believe she was going to see Lucas in a little less than an hour. She hadn't seen him for over 6 months, well besides on TV.

She rested a hand on her big belly, "You ready for this kiddo?"

She walked towards her closet and started running her fingers along the clothes that were inside. She pulled out a pair of black pants and laid them on her bed. She was lucky, because she hadn't really gained any weight, except for her stomach where the baby was growing. All of her pants still fit, she just had to keep the waist of them under her big belly. So she really only had to wear maternity shirts. She had found a lot of really cute shirts in different stores and had even made some. She thought that she would hate having a huge pregnant stomach, but it wasn't too big, and she kind of liked it. 

She pulled out a red shirt that fit tight, and got dressed. She found a pair of red pointed toe heels and set them by the front door. She curled her hair lightly and put on a tiny bit of make up. She looked casual, but cute and was happy. She put on a light black jacket before slipping her shoes on. She grabbed her keys and threw her black Gucci bag over her shoulders, leaving for the doctors.

--

Brooke walked down the halls of the hospital and was started to get nervous about seeing Lucas. As if on cue, the baby started kicking uncontrollably. She rested a hand on her stomach and rubbed it gently where the baby was kicking.

She turned the corner and peeked into the small waiting room. She leaned against the wall outside of the door and took a deep breath. She smacked her lips together and tugged on the bottom of her jacket before entering the small room. 

Lucas looked up as he heard a clicking noise entering the room. He stood as he saw Brooke and a smile creeped onto his face. He stared at her as she walked closer. He watched as she nervously played with her jacket and he knew that she had never looked more beautiful.

"Hey" he grinned as she finally stood in front of him. Everyone else in the waiting room had been watching the two, but he didn't notice. He opened his arms and pulled her into a hug. She hugged him back, but felt stiff in his arms. He chose to ignore that and just be happy that she didn't push him away like he was expecting. 

"Hi Luke" she said softly, pulling out of his arms. "I'm gonna go check in" she said, motioning towards the receptionist.

He nodded and sat back down. He watched her talk to the lady behind the white desk and heard her laugh. He had missed that sound, a lot. He couldn't stop staring at her as she walked back towards him. She looked just like she had the last time he had seen her, except her belly had grown and she had a glow about her.

"Have you been here long?" she asked as she sat next to him and grabbed a magazine off of a side table. She flipped it open and began scanning the pages for the latest entertainment story.

"Not really" he told her, smiling as he watched her.

"Good" she smiled, looking over at him and then back at the magazine.

"Thanks again for letting me come Brooke."

"Really, its not big deal" she shrugged, biting on her lip.

"Miss Davis" a nurse called from the doorway across the room.

"That's us" she smiled, setting the magazine down and walking towards the young lady with Lucas in tow.

"And who is this? Another friend?" The nurse asked, she had obviously remembered Brooke from other visits.

"Uh…no…actually" Brooke mumbled, looking around, "He's the dad…" she said finally.

"Oh!" The nurse exclaimed, stopping in front of the door to room number one. "That's great. Just have a seat in here; the doctor will be with you in a minute."

Brooke nodded and walked in the room, immediately climbing onto the long, paper covered table. Lucas stood in the room awkwardly, not sure of what he was supposed to do.

Brooke giggled softly, "You can just sit over there Luke" she told him, pointing to a chair in the corner.

"Right" he said with a nod as he walked over and sat in the chair.

"Miss Davis" Dr. Adams said as he walked in holding a clipboard. He had his usual smile on his face and his grey hair was shining. "How are you doing today?"

"Really good" Brooke grinned, comfortable with her doctor. "The baby has been kicking a lot though, mostly when I'm trying to sleep."

Dr. Adams laughed, "Yeah, that's when it seems to happen most." He sat down on a rolling stool and slid over towards Brooke. "And who is this?" Dr. Adams asked, nodding towards Lucas.

"Um, that's the baby's dad" Brooke told him as she shifted nervously on the table making the paper crinkle.

"Well, it's good to meet you" Dr. Adams said, sticking a long arm out to Lucas. "I'm Dr. Adams, glad you could be here today."

"Lucas Scott" Lucas said, shaking the older mans hand. "It's nice to meet you too."

Dr. Adams turned his attention back towards Brooke. "So, other than the kicking, is anything bothering you?"

Brooke shrugged, "No, not really."

"Do you have any questions?" he asked as he placed his glasses on his nose and began scanning her chart.

"Nope" Brooke grinned, her hand resting on her belly subconsciously.

"Alright then, how about we do an ultra sound; make sure everything's on track, does that sound good?" Dr. Adam's asked, setting the clipboard down on a small table.

"Sounds great" Brooke smiled. She lay back on the table and lifted her shirt, exposing her perfectly round belly. Lucas' eyes grew wide as he watched her; he couldn't believe that was _his_ baby inside of her. It was amazing.

"This is going to be a little cold" Dr. Adams said with a smile as he squirted some clear blue jelly onto Brooke's stomach. Brooke giggled and squirmed slightly when the cold made contact with her skin. "Alright Dad, you can come take a seat over here so you can see better" Dr. Adams told Lucas, motioning to a chair directly across from him that was right next to Brooke's bed.

"Thanks," Lucas nodded and quickly moved into the chair next to Brooke. 

She looked over at him and gave him a quick smile. "Don't be nervous Luke" she said softly as Dr. Adams started turning the machines on.

Lucas nodded and smiled nervously at her, "It's all just so weird" he said, looking from Brooke's eyes to her stomach.

Brooke shrugged, "You get used to it…"

"Alright, are we ready?" Dr. Adams asked, walking back towards Brooke. He had pushed a screen over next to the bed so that they could see the baby. When Brooke nodded, Lucas immediately reached for her hand. Dr. Adams started moving the wand over her stomach and slowly an image appeared on the screen.

A small thumping noise started to sound throughout the room.

Lucas looked around, trying to figure out what was wrong. "What is that? Are you okay?" He asked, as panic consumed his voice.

"It's the heartbeat Luke" Brooke said with a giggle, waving a hand in his face.

Lucas' face turned a pale shade of pink; he couldn't believe that he didn't know that was the baby's' heartbeat. He wanted to just sink down in the chair and disappear after making such a stupid mistake. But before he could do that, Dr. Adams began speaking again.

"The heartbeat sounds nice and strong." Dr. Adams smiled, still moving the wand around on her stomach. Suddenly it came to a stop and the image on the screen became clearer. "Alright, there is your baby's profile…you see the nose, and the mouth, and the eyes are right there" he told Brooke and Lucas as he pointed to the screen with his free hand. "And there is your baby's hand, it looks like the baby is sucking on his or her thumb" he told them with a smile.

Brooke smiled at the screen, happy with what she saw. Lucas squeezed her hand tighter and leaned in to her ear. "It's amazing Brooke" he whispered. He couldn't believe that was his baby. It was so real. He was so happy and excited and he really hoped he didn't start crying.

"The baby is getting bigger" Brooke noted.

"Yes," Dr. Adams smiled. He clicked a button on the screen to capture a picture and then began moving the wand around some more, causing the image on the screen to disappear. "There's the feet, it looks like they are crossed at the ankles" he told them, and after Lucas squinted at the screen for a second he could see it.

"This is amazing" he said, this time loud enough for the Dr. to hear.

"It is, isn't it?" Dr. Adams replied, looking over at Lucas and smiling. "How about we print off some pictures for you two, and I'm going to take some measurements of the baby…just to make sure we are on track."

"Perfect" Brooke smiled. 

Dr. Adam's moved the wand around a little bit more and then got a towel to wipe the jelly of off Brooke's stomach. 

"Okay, I will be right back with your pictures" he told them as he left the room.

Brooke sat up and pulled her shirt back down over her belly.

"I can't believe that is our baby" Lucas smiled.

"It's crazy isn't it?" Brooke grinned. She loved the days of her doctors' appointments. She couldn't wait to see new pictures of her baby, and hear how much her baby was growing. She was finding it hard to believe that in a month and a half, her baby would actually be here. As she watched Lucas' continuous smile, she was happy that she had invited him to come.

"Brooke, I just want to tell you-"

"Okay" Dr. Adams said, coming into the room and interrupting Lucas. Brooke took a deep breath, knowing that Dr. Adams had just saved her from what Lucas was about to say. He handed Brooke a small envelope, "Here are your pictures. The baby is progressing well, growing as expected. So that is great!"

"That's good to hear" Brooke smiled.

"I'll need you to come in next month, which will be about two weeks before your due date?"

"Yeah, something like that" Brooke shrugged.

"We'll check you then, make sure you are beginning to dilate. But other than that, everything looks good" he told her, swiveling towards her on the stool. "Do you still not want to know the sex of the baby?"

"Um," Brooke started, looking between Dr. Adams and Lucas.

Dr. Adams smiled, watching Brooke and Lucas stare at each other in confusion. "I'll let you two talk about it and be back in a minute.

"You don't know if the baby is a boy or a girl?" Lucas asked as he stood directly across from Brooke where she was sitting on the tall table.

"No, it just never seemed right to find out what I was having…not with Chae or Jake here…" She shrugged, biting on her lip as she stared down at her stomach.

"Well, do you want to find out?" Lucas asked, placing a hand on Brooke's knee.

She moved her eyes to his hand that was resting on her knee. She looked up at him, "Do you want to know?"

"I want whatever you want Brooke" Lucas smiled, bringing his other hand to her upper arm and rubbing it gently.

She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. She smiled softly, almost unsurely. "I think we should find out…"

She was going to let it be a surprise, but with Lucas actually there, it felt right for them to find out together. She never would have thought he would've been there in the first place…so that had to mean something. Even though they had no relationship right now, and not even a real friendship, they were having a baby together and would always be a part of each others lives whether they liked it or not.

Lucas' rubbed Brooke's arm, his smile growing bigger. "Okay. Let's find out!" he agreed.

Dr. Adam's walked back into the room, holding Brooke's chart. Lucas released both of his hands from where they were touching Brooke and he turned around to face him so that he was now standing next to Brooke instead of in front of her.

"Did you two decide?" Dr. Adam's asked, peering at them from over his silver framed glasses.

Brooke reached for Lucas' hand and held onto it. "Yeah, we want to know" she smiled, looking towards Lucas and smiling before turning back to Dr. Adams.

"Alright" Dr. Adams said, flipping through the pages of the chart. He suddenly stopped and looked up to see a very anxious looking Brooke and Lucas. "Congratulations you two, it looks like you are going to have a beautiful baby girl."

"Oh my god!" Brooke grinned, letting go of Lucas' hand and throwing hers up to her cheek.

"We're having a girl!" Lucas exclaimed, turning to face Brooke. He threw his arms around Brooke, and pulled her towards him.

Dr. Adams smiled at the two young people before he turned and left the room, deciding to give them some space.

"I can't believe I'm having a girl" Brooke smiled, as Lucas released her from his hug.

"It's unbelievable" Lucas smiled, shaking his head.

"Now, I can definitely start shopping" She said with a raised eyebrow, knowing that the fun was about to start.

"Have you not gotten anything yet?" Lucas asked, holding Brooke's hand as he helped her climb off of the table.

Brooke raised her shoulders, "Not really, I didn't know what colors to buy" she told him nonchalantly.

Lucas laughed, handing Brooke's jacket to her which she pulled on. "Well, if you aren't busy now, maybe we should start that shopping…"

Brooke shook her head, "No, Lucas, you don't have to."

"I want to. You don't have to do this by yourself…" Lucas told her, watching her smile slowly fade.

Brooke didn't reply, just walked out of the room with Lucas following her. When they were finally outside of the hospital Lucas reached in front of him for her arm, causing her to stop walking.

"Brooke, I want to help you get stuff for the baby…I want to do it" he said firmly.

"I just" she started, looking around at all of the people walking by that could care less about what the two on the street were talking about. "I just don't want you to get the wrong idea Lucas. I invited you today to be nice, because you are right, it is your baby…but I don't want you to get the wrong idea…about _us_…"

Lucas' face fell as her words started to sting. He figured he was probably wrong to think that there could be something left between them. Especially after he pretty much picked his so called life and psycho marriage over her and their baby. She was right, all they had now was their baby,and that didn't mean that she wanted to be with him, she had made that pretty clear.

"Brooke-" he started, his voice pleading with her.

Brooke watched Lucas, seeing the smile fall off of his face with her words. "I'm sorry Lucas" she said quietly, "I just can't." Her eyes started to fill with tears and she could feel her lip starting to quiver. "I gotta go" she said shakily. She lifted the small envelope out of her purse and pulled out two of the pictures, leaving the other two for herself. She handed him the baby's pictures before turning around and walking away as fast as she possibly could.

_But I think she's leaving_

_Ooh man she's leaving_

_I don't know what else to do_

**--**

**A/N: Alright, I hope you guys liked that chapter! You should since there was Brucas and Brucas Baby in it! Hahaha! I figured you guys deserved some Brucas fluff for being so patient with me :)**

**..Thank You's..**

**othfan326- Way to go! You are the numero uno reviewer this time! You won!! haha! I'm glad you liked that I brought Kade back for this chapter! And Yaaay for the pucas divorce, I feel a lot better now that they are dunzo! haha! I agree with what you said about Brooke maybe cutting Lucas some slack..she did know what she was getting herself into at the beginning, I think thats why I made it so she invited Lucas to the Dr. appt. Anyways! Thanks so much for your review, I love to see what you think about what's going on in the story! I hope you liked this chapter as well!**

**carebearxo8- haha I'm glad you liked this chapter! And I'm glad you liked the whole Kade coming back part! Yes, Haley is just being protective! She's just like that with everyone I think! Well, I'm glad you liked the last chapter, I hope you liked this one as well! Thanks for always reviewing :)**

**courtneylovejason- So I pretty much love you and your long reviews haha. It's true, you do analyze every detail, I love it! hahah! sometimes you even notice things that I didn't think about! its sorta funny! two dollar seawhorse..baaahhahahaha. that was awesome!! Don't you love italian sodas?? I do..I'm pretty much obsessed with them, I looove the lemon-lime ones, but really I love them all haha. I'm glad you liked that chapter, I hope you liked this one too! Thanks for always leaving like amazing reviews, I love them! I need to go read your new chapter, I'm excited!!**

**Jem (flipflopgal)- I'm glad that you loved that last chapter! You are so funny, I love your reviews!! I hope you liked this chapter too!! Thanks for always being such a great reviewer!**

**bella- Your review was awesome! You are pretty much on the same page as me so thats good! Haha, I'm glad you liked the way Lucas caught Peyton!! I waas pretty excited for it myself! haha! Loove!**

**brucasforever08- I'm so happy you are loving the story! yaaay that like makes my day! Really, I love hearing that! So yaaay for pucas being dunzo!! Hahaa! I hope you liked the brucas in this chapter! Thanks for reviewing :)**

**reina123- hahaha yaay for that being your favorite chapter! Pucas is done and Brucas is on..hahaa I liked that! hehehe!!**

**brucasnaleyluvr- You and your busy life! You are a busy girl! But I'm glad you at least had time to read this chapter at 6 in the morning ahhaaa. You are funny! And you could write your review in italian if you wanted, but yeah I'd have noooo idea what it said ahhaha silly! Talk to you later! Muah!!**

**Christie (sweetchristie03)- I think that might have been your longest review so far! Wow! I was excited ahhaa! What celebrity named their baby Max? I hope it was one that I like hahaha. I never know whats going on with anything I swear! Anyways, Thank you for always reviewing, you are the bestest!!**

**Chasity (chasitybsp)- So glad you liked the chapter! Yaay for it being the best chapter ever! hehehe! Yeeesss for sweet revenge!! You are funny! Thanks for always reviewing :)**

**brucas3- I'm glad you liked the way everything went down ahhaa. Pucas is dunzo! Waahoooo! hehehe! Thanks for always reviewing! You are awesome!**

**dolcegrazia- I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you liked this one as well! Thanks for aaalllwwaaays reviewing! Totally makes my day!**

**LoVeBrucas- Oh yes, Peyton was so bound to screw up eventually!! You are so sweet! I'm glad you love this story, that makes me totally happy! Thank you for always reviewing! I always look forward to reading them! xoxox!**

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- hahaha I'm so glad you loved the last chapter! Totally makes me happy! I love reading your reviews, so thank you for always leaving them! I hope you liked the brucas in this chapter! I figured you guys deserved a fluffy Brucas scene if it only lasted for a minute hhaaa!**

**chebelle- Yeah, I think I may update to frequently ahhaa. No, I think its good that I update fast, it keeps readers wanting to read! I always make sure to have at least 2 or 3 chapter written at a time so that I can update quickly even when I have no time to write! Anyways, I seriously loved your review, you totally had me laughing, it was awesome! I love ever pucas break-up too :) they are just like happy moments!! Love it!! I hope you liked this chapter since I added a little Brucas fluff! haha!**

**BrOoKeDaViS23- I'm glad you liked the chapter! Good-bye Peythoe! Hahaha. I hope you liked the Brucas fluff in this chapter! I don't like nanny carrie either, but I do like Lindsey..probably cuz she sang that song about peyton hahaa or maybe cuz she has my name ahhaa! thanks for always reviewing!**

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- Good job for making the softballl team! I'm excited for you! And I'm glad your brother is doing better.Hahaha to his lifelong dream..I'm glad he's getting to fulfill it, but yeah I would never want to do that! hahah! You are way more normal watching 36 straight hours of OTH, now that is something I would want to do! haha! Anyways! I hope you have a great weekend! Good luck with the song ;) hahah! love you!!**

**onetreehillgirl066- Thanks for your review!! haha, yes now lucas just needs to go to brooke! I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Katherine- Yay for your always amazing reviews!! Oh, and you can always do a happy dance when reading my story, its almost required ahhaa. Haha to peyton being homeless..she always looks homeless! She really is yucka all around! Especially in season 4..she was such a freaking mess it was actually amusing! But I won't go into that now hahaha :) anyways, I am glad you liked the chapter, because I know you are always honest with me so I love hearing what you have to say! Thanks for always being so supportive, your the best! xxoxoxo!**

**lolohb- sad that Lucas isn't hott with his shirt off anymore! I haven't seen that episode yet, I'm like 3 or 4 episodes behind ahahha. I def. need to get caught up! haha. Thanks for always reviewing!!**

**TutorGrrl- I'm so glad that you are loving this story! Really, that makes my day! Glad you liked how peyton got out-ed, I enjoyed it myself haha. Anyways, thanks for reviewing!**

**Sara (Brucas2006)- You are amazing! HAha your reviews like blow my mind ahhaa. Dude, Peytwhore is totally going down! Hahahaa! That was like my favorite thing from your review! Even though the whole review pretty much rocked my world! haha. You are like my favorite haha. I'm serious, one of these days I will catch up on One Last Kiss, and I can't wait for that day to come haha. I just like need to read it all at once! I love your stories so it makes me excited you like mine too! haha! BRF!! Love you!!**

Alright eveyone, thanks once agian, don't forget to review and have a great weekend!!XOXOXLindssss


	20. The Day Has Come

**A/N: Okay everyone, here is the new chapter! I hope you all had amazing weekends! So I just barely realized that the lines I was putting in to break up the scenes weren't saving...I don't know why they weren't, this thing can be so dumb sometimes! But I'm sooo sorry, reading stories with no scene breaks is like one of my biggest pet peeves, so I'm totally sorry, but I am going to try and figure it out and fix it! Thanks for still being awesome even though it took me 19 chapters to realize that! The song in this chapter is 'Honestly' by the one and only Bethany Joy Galeotti!! I hope you guys like this update, honestly...I'm not so sure about it, so I hope its okay.**

_Honestly I didn't mean to laugh so loud_

_But it just sounds so absurd to_

_Say that you want me,_

_Say that you need me_

_After everything you've done..._

**Chapter Twenty- The Day Has Come**

Brooke was growing more and more frustrated every day. She was now at her 8 month mark in her pregnancy, and that for one, was very stressful. She was getting nervous about actually having the baby, and even more nervous about what she was going to do once she brought her baby home.

On top of that, she hadn't talked to Lucas since the doctors' appointment two weeks ago and he wouldn't stop calling her. She just couldn't deal with him right now. She had tried to be nice, inviting him to the doctors' appointment and then he went all Naley on her. She couldn't handle it, and she wasn't going to. She wasn't just going to run back to him after he decided to get a divorce from his skanky wife. It didn't help that he didn't get a divorce until she refused to talk to him for over six months. He just needed to understand that all they had in common at the moment was the baby she was carrying.

Chae was also driving her crazy. She kept bothering Brooke, saying that she needed to talk to Lucas. That she needed to work things out with Lucas. Blah-blah-blah. It was just getting old.

She also was trying to finish up all of her orders for Clothes Over Bro's before she shut the site down temporarily to have the baby.

Everything just seemed to be happening at once and it was getting _really_ annoying, _really_ fast.

Brooke was lying on her bed taking a break when she heard the front door open and then slam shut. She covered her face with her blanket and closed her eyes.

"Hey Brooke" Jake said, walking into her bedroom a few moments after she heard the slamming door.

Brooke pushed the blanket off of her and sat up, supporting her back with her hand. "Hey Jakey" she smiled, glad that it was him and not Chae. He always seemed to be on her side with everything, when Chae on the other hand was maybe too opinionated for her own good. Even though a lot of the times Brooke knew she was right. Brooke just happened to be as _stubborn_ as Chae was _opinionated_.

"I just went and picked up the crib" he told her with a big smile, knowing that she would be excited.

"You did!" She grinned, her face lighting up.

She had paid for a crib and put it on hold at Pottery Barn Kids earlier in the week. She was waiting for Jake to come into town so that he could pick it up and help her set it up. It was a big, espresso brown sleigh crib, that was expensive and elegant and she absolutely loved it. She also got a matching changing table and dresser, along with off-white bedding with small pastel colored polka dots and stripes on it.

She had enough space in her bedroom for the crib and the changing table, but wasn't sure where she was going to put the dresser. She was thinking about clearing out some space in her closet for it, but wasn't sure how realistic that was either. She couldn't wait until she had a place that actually had a bedroom for her baby. A bedroom that she could paint pink to match her bedding and that she could hang up large letters spelling out her daughters' name. It would be nice, but for right now, she needed all the help and support she could get, and living with Chae was the best choice for her.

"Yeah, I think I'll go back for the other two pieces later this week before I go home" he told her.

Brooke slowly climbed off of the bed and walked towards Jake, throwing her arms around his neck. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist as well.

"Thanks so much" she said gratefully into his neck.

"It's no problem Penelope" he smiled, watching her smile as she pulled out of the hug. "So, let's get this thing set up" he smiled, walking out of the bedroom with Brooke in tow.

"Yeah, let's do it!" Brooke exclaimed, staring at the large box that was now sitting in the entry way of her apartment.

"How excited are you right now?" Chae asked, watching as Brooke smiled anxiously at the boxed up crib.

"So excited!" Brooke grinned.

"Alright babe, let's bring this into Brooke's room and then we'll start putting it together" Jake told Chae, motioning towards the box. Chae nodded, and Brooke watched as they moved the boxed crib into her room.

Brooke felt bad that she couldn't help put the crib together, but Jake seemed to be doing fine by himself and with a little help from Chae.

Finally, the crib was all set up and Brooke and Chae were making the bed with the striped sheets and polka dotted blankets while Jake took a break in the living room.

"This is the cutest thing ever!" Chae gushed as her and Brooke finished up the crib.

"I know" Brooke smiled, "its great right?"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Later that night Chae and Jake decided to go to a movie. Brooke was too tired to go and decided to stay home. She was sitting on the couch with her feet up on thecoffee table when the door bell rang. She really didn't want to answer it, but when it rang a second time she decided that she better.

She tightened the strings on her pajama pants as she walked towards the door, her hand running along her stomach. She opened the door, and was pretty surprised to see Lucas standing in front of her. She rolled her eyes as he stood there, waiting for him to talk.

"Brooke, we need to figure this out" he said, watching as she stared at him with a bored expression on her face.

"Figure what out? It's all _talking_ with us Lucas, I'm sick of it!" She groaned, moving her bangs out of her face.

"Because we can't seem to figure anything out" he said, shaking his head. "God, Brooke, I miss you…don't you get that?"

Brooke laughed at this, he was seriously delusional. "You _miss_ me? Damn it Lucas! You think that just because you finally decided to leave your wife that I would just come running back to you!" She stopped, taking a deep breath as she shook her head. "But guess what? I didn't wait around, crying over you" _partly true_, she thought before continuing, "I won't be second best, and that's _exactly_ what I am to you right now! If you need a casual fuck while getting through your divorce, then I am not the girl. I'm trying to move on Lucas…I think you should too."

He shook his head, "I don't believe you" he said quieter this time. "I think you need me just as much as I need you, and you are just scared…"

Brooke raised her eyebrows, not losing eye contact with him. She didn't want him to think that he was getting to her, which he was.

He stepped towards her, placing a hand on her arm and leaning in close to her so that his mouth was by her ear. "I'm not going _anywhere_" he whispered, leaving her speechless as he walked away. He reached the end of the hall, and turned around to see her still watching him from her doorway. "And you were _never_ second best" he added, watching as her mouth dropped. He turned back to the direction he was headed and left her apartment building.

**.:Two Weeks Later:.**

Brooke woke up in the middle of the night when she felt a strong pain in her lower back. She had been having different pains and cramps for a couple days now, but this one was sharper. She shifted around trying to get comfortable and closed her eyes again. But the pain was making it hard to sleep so she decided just to get out of bed. She went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of apple juice. She sat down at the table and looked at the clock. It was just around 4 am.

She stood up and paced back and forth, trying to lull the kicking baby to sleep. The doctor had told her that when she was moving, at times it would rock the baby to sleep, but when she was laying still the baby would be awake and moving around or kicking. All of the kicking plus the pain was just not working out for her.

"Hey" Chae yawned, walking into the living room. "What are you doing up?"

"She won't stop kicking" Brooke groaned, her eyes still tired and her voice raspy. "And my back hurts" Brooke explained.

"Let me go heat up a bean bag for you" Chae said, leaving the room and returning five minutes later with a warm bean bag for Brooke's back.

"Thanks" Brooke smiled.

"Mmhmm" Chae sighed, sitting down on the couch and resting her head against the back of the couch.

Brooke walked over to the couch and laid down, her head on Chae's lap. She scrunched her face up, biting her teeth down together as she felt another pain in her back causing her whole body to tense up.

"Are you okay Brooke?" Chae asked, growing concerned as she watched Brooke who was obviously in pain.

"I'm fine" Brooke said quietly, her body starting to relax again.

Chae ran her hands through Brooke's hair, "If you say so…"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke finally fell back asleep with her head resting on Chae's lap. Chae had fallen asleep also but was woken up again when she felt Brooke move quickly a little over an hour later.

"Oooww" Brooke groaned, sitting straight up.

Chae's eyes opened quickly and she reached for Brooke's hand, "Maybe we should get you to the doctor."

Brooke shook her head, sighing as the pain slowly faded. "No, I'm fine. I'm sure its nothing. She's not supposed to be here for at least two weeks anyways."

Chae laughed lightly, "If she is anything like her mom, which she probably is, she's going to make her own schedule…an appearance to shock anyone!"

Brooke swatted at Chae, "Whatever!"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

By 6 am the pains started getting worse and closer together so Brooke called Haley and finally decided to go to the hospital.

They had her in a room by 7:30 and when they checked her they said she was definitely in labor. Her water broke shortly after she had gotten her room, and they told her she would have a baby by the end of the day depending on how fast her labor progressed.

"I'm not ready" Brooke whined as she sat up in her hospital bed.

"_She's_ ready" Chae laughed nodding towards Brooke's belly as she sat next to her.

"Baby" Brooke said, leaning towards her stomach, "You are not supposed to come out yet!"

Chae laughed, patting Brooke's arm, "Not even born yet and she's already not listening…good luck!"

"Chae!" Brooke whined, her lip poking out.

"I'm kidding" Chae laughed.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Two hours later, Brooke was in a lot of pain. They decided that it was time to give her the epidural and told her that her baby would be there soon.

"Hey, will you be okay for a second; I just need to go call Jake. He wanted me to keep him updated" Chae explained, standing from the chair that was placed next to Brooke's bed.

"Yeah, I'm starting to feel better…whatever they gave me for pain is working" Brooke smiled.

Chae nodded and left the room quickly. She made her way outside of the hospital and turned her phone on. She scrolled through her phone book until she reached Lucas' number.

"_Hello?" Lucas answered groggily. It was barely 9:30 and he was still in bed._

"Hey Luke, its Chae" She said, her voice sounding a little nervous.

"_Is Brooke okay?" He asked, a yawn forcing its way out of his mouth._

"No, well yeah" Chae shrugged, "She's in labor Luke, the baby will be here…soon. I can't talk long, but I thought you would want to know…"

"_Oh. My. God." Lucas shot out, now sitting straight up in bed fully awake. "Can I come to the hospital?" He asked quickly; already out of bed and pulling on some jeans._

"You _better_ get your ass here…but as far as Brooke knows, this was _not_ my idea" Chae said with a smirk.

"_Right" Lucas said, "Thanks Chae."_

"Room 407 in the maternity ward, get here fast!" She demanded before clicking the phone off and heading back up to Brooke.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

A half hour later Chae was sitting next to Brooke as she gripped her hand tightly.

"Oh it hurts, it hurts" Brooke whined, tears threatening to fall out of her eyes.

"Just breathe Brookie" Chae said comfortingly as she rubbed Brooke's hand with her free one. "This contraction is almost over, it's okay…"

Moments later the contraction ended and Brooke relaxed again.

"I can't do it anymore Chae" Brooke said, looking up with pleading eyes.

"Yeah you can" Chae said, smiling softly at Brooke, "You are _so_ strong sweetie, you are stronger than anyone I know. You can do this-"

Brooke and Chae were both startled when they heard a light tap on the door. They watched as the door slowly opened revealing a messy-haired Lucas holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Hey" he said, moving quickly into the room. He set the flowers down onto a table and then quickly moved to Brooke's free side, across from Chae.

"What are you doing-oh my god it hurts!" Brooke groaned, squeezing Chae's hand hard and grabbing for Lucas' hand with her free one.

Lucas looked up at Chae; he was totally scared and freaked out. He was not expecting this. He hated seeing Brooke in so much pain, especially when there was nothing he could do to help her. Chae gave Lucas a reassuring smile as she began talking to Brooke, trying to comfort her. Brooke relaxed again once the contraction was over and she released her tight grips on both Chae and Lucas' hands.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked Brooke as he reached his hand to her forehead, gently moving away the hair that was resting there.

"How did you know?" Brooke asked, confused of why Lucas was there. He had been calling her like crazy for the past two weeks, but that didn't mean she actually was answering it. The only people who actually knew she was here was Chae and her friends back home, and none of them talked to Lucas either.

"I told you I wasn't going anywhere" he said, looking down at her with a smile.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Everything had progressed quickly and at 11:17 A.M. Averie Kendall Scott was born. She weighted 6 pounds and 4 ounces and was 17.5 inches long. She was breathing well on her own and was a healthy baby.

"She's so little" Brooke sighed, holding her now cleaned up, sleeping baby against her.

"She's perfect" Lucas smiled, sitting next to Brooke and leaning as close to her and Averie as he could.

"I just love her _so_ much" Brooke said, smiling down at her daughter who was wrapped tightly in a light pink blanket.

"Welcome to the world Averie" Chae cooed, sitting on the other side of Brooke's bed.

"She definitely got her mommy's hair" Lucas laughed, lifting up the tiny pink beanie that was on top of the infants head to keep her warm. She had a ton of straight dark brown hair that surprised everyone.

"Yeah she did" Chae agreed with a nod.

"She has so much hair," Brooke grinned, leaning her head forward to kiss Averie for the millionth time. "Max has no hair at all" she said with a laugh. Brooke leaned her head back into the pillows that were resting behind her back and took a deep breath. She was worn out from the crazy day, and now sitting her with Averie who wasn't even an hour old…everything just seemed okay and it was all worth it.

"She is beautiful" Lucas cooed, admiring his baby.

"Do you wanna hold her again?" Brooke asked, looking up at Lucas. She was happy that he was there, and was glad that Chae had called him even though Chae wouldn't admit that she had called him and Lucas wouldn't fess up either. She decided that as long as Lucas put in the time and effort with Averie, then she wouldn't keep him away from his baby. Averie and Lucas both deserved to have a special bond and relationship and Brooke knew that.

"Yeah" Lucas nodded with a smile, reaching his hands towards the baby and cradling her in his arms.

Chae mainly kept busy snapping pictures. She had a ton of Averie already, and made sure to get just as many of Averie with her parents, and of course she had Lucas take a couple of her holding Averie as well.

"I love you, you know that right?" Lucas whispered to the tiny baby in his arms.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke and Averie were discharged from the hospital a day and a half later. Lucas and Chae went to the hospital to bring Brooke and Averie home. He had to leave later that night to go out of town for an away game, and he really didn't want to leave his daughter, or Brooke.

Brooke had let him come to the hospital as much as he wanted because he was Averie's dad. She had surprised everyone by letting him come around, but it wasn't doing it for her.

"That kid sleeps so much" Chae laughed, looking over at Brooke who was sitting next to her on the couch holding a sleeping Averie.

"Yeah, during the day. It's tonight I'm worried about" Brooke pouted, looking from Averie to Chae. Brooke was nervous to be alone with Averie tonight for the first time. She figured she could handle it, but it was nice having all of the nurses around to help her in the hospital.

"I'll be here to help!" Chae said, patting Brooke on the shoulder.

"Yeah, you like freak out when you can hear my sewing machine at night…can't wait to see your reaction to a screaming baby!" Brooke laughed, raising an eyebrow at Chae.

"Whatever this is _so_ different" Chae laughed. She stood up from the couch when she heard Brooke's phone ringing. "Want me to get that?"

Brooke looked up at Chae, "Please!"

Chae picked up Brooke's phone and answered it. "Hey Luke."

"_Hi. Is Brooke busy?" He asked._

"Nope, wanna talk to her?"

"_Yeah, if that's okay…"_

"Sure, here she is" Chae smiled, walking towards Brooke and handing the phone to her.

"Hello" Brooke answered quietly, not wanting to upset the sleeping baby.

"_Hey," Lucas smiled, happy to hear the sound of her voice. "We just landed. How are you?"_

"I'm good, just tired…" Brooke told him. Chae softly picked Averie up from Brooke's arms and rocked the baby as she left the living room.

"_I hope you'll be able to get some good sleep tonight. How's Ave?" Lucas asked as he leaned against a wall in the crowded airport._

"She's good for now. She's actually been sleeping a lot today so I'm thinking she'll probably be up all night" Brooke said with a slight laugh.

"_She has a mind of her own" Lucas chuckled sadly. He wished he could've stayed there with Brooke and Averie, but with only 4 games left this season, he knew that wasn't an option and it killed him._

"Yeah" Brooke smiled, thinking about her perfect baby. She heard Averie start to scream in the other room and stood up quickly. "She's crying, I better go save Chae" Brooke laughed.

"_Alright, call me if you need anything and I'll call you later…"_

"Okay, bye Lucas" Brooke said, quickly hanging up the phone after he said goodbye.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke walked into the living room sleepily the next morning to find Chae sitting on the couch with a very awake Averie in her arms.

"Hey sleepy head" Chae giggled as a very tired looking Brooke sat down next to her.

"Good morning" Brooke yawned, leaning down to kiss Averie on the forehead.

"Did she sleep at all last night?" Chae asked with raised eyebrows.

"Not really" Brooke sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Thanks for taking her this morning…"

"Your welcome, I just wish I could do more" Chae shrugged.

Averie had been awake almost all night. She was having a hard time settling and would only stop crying if Brooke was holding her while rocking or bouncing. Brooke would feed her and change her diaper, but Averie still didn't want to sleep. Chae had heard Averie crying and came in to try and help Brooke a few times but Brooke insisted that she had it under control. After Brooke fed her early this morning, Chae came in and took Averie so that Brooke could get at least two hours of sleep before Averie's next feeding.

"You do enough" Brooke smiled. "Are you okay with her?"

"Yeah she's fine" Chae said, smiling down at Averie.

"I'm going to go eat something before I need to feed her again" Brooke told Chae as she made her way into the kitchen.

"Oh yeah, by the way...Lucas called earlier" Chae said, walking into the kitchen with Averie.

"He did?" Brooke asked, turning to face Chae with a confused expression. "Why so early?"

Chae shrugged, "I guess he just wanted to see how you and Ave were, he was glad you were getting some sleep. But I think he really misses you both…he sounded really, um-"

"Broody?" Brooke asked, finishing Chae's sentence.

"Yeah" Chae smiled, rocking Averie, "Broody…"

Brooke nodded and turned back into the fridge.

"Do you think you two are going to try to work things out?" Chae asked, readjusting Averie so that the baby was now leaning against her shoulder.

Brooke turned around and looked at Chae, raising her eyebrows. "Work things out between me and him? I don't think so. I'll be nice to him and let him come around because of Ave…but he really screwed things up, and I'm not so sure I _can_ get over that, or _want_ to get over that…"

"He's trying Brooke, he cares about you a lot" Chae said, biting on her lip, trying to understand where Brooke was coming from.

"He's trying _now_, where was he my whole pregnancy? He didn't care about me too much, because if he did, he would've left his so-called wife a long time ago…" Brooke said, a tint of anger in her voice.

"Yeah, I guess your right" Chae said, starting to understand why Brooke was protecting her heart from the guy. She wished that Lucas and Brooke could work things out, but Brooke was right, Lucas made some bad choices and had hurt Brooke a lot. He didn't deserve her, not now at least. But that didn't stop Chae from hoping that Brucas would work out eventually.

* * *

**A/N: I hope that was okay...uhhm..review and let me know what you thought!**

**.:Thank You's:.**

**onetreehillgirl066- Way to go! You were the very first to review the last chapter!! Thats awesome!! I like your ideas...I think I will consider them! Thank you! And thank you for always reviewing too! It really like makes my day!!**

**BrucasNaleyluvr- Hey buddy!! haha, I really hope you liked this filler chapter!! No, but really, you need to tell me asap what you thought since you know I was worried about it! Thanks for the review even though I ruined all of your hopes and dreams! Thanks for alwaaaays reviewing! This time you were the second one to review, so you were almost the first!! I'm sure I'll be talking to you soon! ily!!**

**LoVeBrucas- Thank you for your review! I always look forward to reading them!! I hope you liked this chapter! Even though I've been really jumpy lately haahaa. But Brucas Baby is here!! And step by step Lucas is getting back into Brooke's life...so thats good right? hahaa. Thank you again for aallwaaays reviewing!! It really is nice to know what you think so thank you :)**

**dolcegrazia- I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter!! I hope you liked this one as well!! Things will pick up speed now that Brucas Baby is here!! There will at least be Brucas interaction in every chapter!! Thank you for always reviewing, I love knowing what you think and I always keep an eye out for your reviews!!**

**courtneylovejason- Okay, first off I just need to say that I am planning on reading the latest chapters of your story, I have just been suuuper busy! But I really am excited to get a chance to read them and when I do I will for sure review :) On another note...I think its pretty awesome you cooked dinner, read the last chapter and reviewed it at the same time!! You are like a triple threat! Really, that is a talent ;) I think its pretty awesome that you did that! ILY!! Hahaha you are totally writing yourself into the story, thats AWESOME!! I'll have to write you into the story at some point just because of that!! I'll put you in as like Chae's little sister or something for like a chapter hahaha. Thank you for alwaays being such a faithful reviewer!! haha! I can't waiiit to catch up on your story!!**

**brucas2008- Thank you for your review! I'm glad you liked the chapter :) I think I already sent you a PM about this, but my other fanfic is called 'These Days'...Anyways, thank you for reviewing, it really makes a difference hearing what people think :)**

**brucas3- Thank you for loving my story :) Brucas are taking baby steps, but eventually they will work things out!! Thanks for being patient thought! I hope you liked this chapter, yaaay for cute BrucasBaby!!**

**chebelle- So did I shock you with the whole Brucas having a girl thing?? LOL! I always picture Brucas with a girl too haha. Oh and sorry it took me so long to update this time, this is probably the longest I've gone!! Needless to say, I've been busy hahaa. But I spoil you guys anyways. I will update soon next time though :) I just can't deny you guys haha. I really always LOVE reading your reviews! I could comment on all of your comments but it would take forever, so just know I love them!!**

**lilohb- Thank you for the quick note haha. That is good to know! I'm glad it is all nice and warm now!! Yeah, I guess I wouldn't know, so thank you for telling me :) You are totally right, I'm only adding sadness to get to the good part! It's all gonna get better from here!!**

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- Oh my gosh I freaking love you!! haha. The song was seriously AMAZING!! I loved it! I was soooo excited to see it in the review, it like totally made my day! You are awesome!! It sounds like you had a super busy weekend! I did too! Did you have a good Easter? I decided its funner when you are little hahaa. But its still good :) So pretty much you are awesome and like one of the best reviewers so yeah...I think thats about it! haha love you!!**

**reina123- haha thank you for your review! I'm glad you pretty much love the whole story, that like totally makes me happy! Thank you for always reviewing, you are the bestt!!**

**TutorGrrl- Thank you sooo much for your review! I'm glad you are liking the story so far :) And its always good to hear that it is evolving nicely!! I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks again for reviewing!!**

**OTHbrucas4ever- Hahaha yesss you are hooked! Thats exactly what I want to hear!! I've totally done my job!! Thank you for reviewing :)**

**Katherine- Okay, honestly...what did you think about this chapter?? It is probably my least favorite written chapter so far and I need your honest opinion on it! I was gonna send you a draft of it before I posted, but with the busy weekend I didn't want to bother you...so tell me what you think and don't worry about being nice ahaha. Thank you for always being so supportive! I know I say that every chapter but you have had my back from the beginning of this story so yeah! Thanks sooo much!!**

**othfan326- Thank you so much for your review. I really love reading your thoughts on the chapter. I think I am going to have Haley and Lucas meet soon...within a couple chapters I'm sure! Thanks for the idea!! Brucas progressed a little in this chapter, like she's letting him come around and stuff, so thats a start right?? Thank you again for revieiwing :)**

**kaitlyn- I can't believe I have you hangin on the edge of your seat haha. Thats awesome! I'm so glad you are loving this story, I hope you liked this chapter as well! Thank you for your review!!**

**brucas333- Hahahaa thanks for the review! I understand the busy thing...life is busy and I'm glad you could catch up :) I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**erika- I must say, that is pretty awesome that you updated for both the last two chapters :) Okay, so I loooove Ben & Jerrys...but I have never tried Chocolate Therapy and ever since I've read your review that is seriously all I can think about!! I went to get some at the store but couldn't find it...so I'll have to look around...but I loooove chocolate ice cream so I am sooo excited to try it!! Thank you for telling me about it!! That was awesome!! Anyways, thanks for the reviews! I looove to know your thoughts on the story!! I hope this chapter was okay...**

**BrOoKe DaViS23- I'm glad that you are happy that she didn't just forgive him!! BEcause at the moment he doesn't deserve it! He's so gonna have to work for it hahaa. Thank you for always reviewing! I always watch for your reviews :)**

**Jem (flipflopgal)- Thank you for the review!! I hope you liked this chapter too! I wasn't so sure about it...so I'm excited to hear what you think!!**

**bella- hhahaa I totally just realized that Chase's last name was Adams like a few chapters ago and I was like whooops but surprisingly you are the first one to made the connection known to me! Hhahaha. But as of now Chase isn't going to be in the story! Way to go catching that though ahaha I hope I didn't make you too nervous! I'm glad you get Brooke's reasoning for not letting Lucas back in her life so easily! I hope you liked this chapter :)**

**onetreefan- Thank you for reviewing and I'm glad you are liking the story sooo far! We'll just have to wait and see what happens with Brucas in the future...but don't worry...they will be together in the end since I am die hard Brucas fan haha. Hope you liked this chapter!!**

**Natalie (iluvmedo)- Hey you!! I remember you from when you were reading 'These Days' and I must say I was sooooo excited to get a review from you!! I'm so glad that you found my new story!! I'm so glad that you are addicted to it, that is awesome! It totally makes me happy to think that I made you feel so much emotion cuz obviously that is wanted from a writer!! I have a love hate relationship with Lucas in the show, and thats probably why I'm writing him this way in the story. Just cuz he can be sooo amazing at times and so completely stupid at other times, but thats just my opinion :) And I sooo agree Peyton needs to grow up too..she's just so whiney and like thinks the world is out to get her or something. I don't get it! Anywaaays I'm glad you like the story so far :) That totally makes my life and it was sooo good to hear from you!! Thank you for the review!!**

**Chasity (chasitybsp)- I haven't seen the 100th episode yet :( I've heard from many people that it was good though. I can't wait to see Karen, Lily, and Andy!! I have all of the episodes this season recorded on my TV but I'm way behind, I just watched the library episode tonight haha. I'm starting to lose faith in Mark...for some reason he seems to be obsessed with Peyton and that makes me nervous! But we all know Brooke is like amazing and the best ever :) Thank you for reviewing like always! You are pretty much awesome!!**

**Brucas3Naley23- Love your name by the way :) And welcome to the story, I loooove having new reviewers, it makes me so happy :) Thats awesome that you stayed in your room to catch up...ahahaa its totally the cool thing to do! My family would probably think I'm depressed if I did that too...but little do they know hahaa. I'm so excited to have you reading! And about your requests...I think I can handle that :) It shouldn't be a problem!!**

Alright everyone, you guys really are the inspiration for this story! Thank you so much, you are all amazing. XOXOXLindsay :)

* * *


	21. What Did You Expect Me To Do?

**A/N: Okay, so I am totally like hyped up and excited for a few reasons. Reason #1- we are well over _400_ reviews for this story and that is nothing short of _amazing_. And I have all of you to thank for that. Reason #2- I got the most reviews for chapter 20 that I have ever gotten- _28_ of them to be exact!! Seriously. You guys rock my world! And I love hearing from you all, don't forget it! Okay, on with the story, the song in this chapter is called 'Blind' and is by Lifehouse. Enjoy friends!

* * *

**

_I would fall asleep _

_Only in hopes of dreaming_

_That everything_

_Would be like it was before_

_But nights like this_

_It seems are slowly fleeting_

_And disapear as reality is crashing to the floor_

**Chapter Twenty-One- What Did You Expect Me To Do?**

Brooke and Averie had been home for two weeks now and were finally developing a schedule and a routine.

Chae was very helpful, and bonded with Averie quickly. She loved helping Brooke and being such a big part in Averie's life. She was glad that Brooke had decided to stay in their apartment with Averie instead of moving out.

Averie was a pretty good baby, but she loved attention just like her mother. She was happiest when she was being held and loved. Brooke didn't mind though, she was a nervous wreck when her baby wasn't in her sight anyways.

Lucas spent as much time with Brooke and Averie as he could. He was very busy with basketball, so it made it hard for him. He had practices everyday and had already been out of town twice since Averie had been born. He only had one game left, and couldn't wait for his life to calm down after that. He was just glad that his divorce papers had gone through quickly and he was now officially rid of Peyton.

Brooke was adjusting well to being a new mom. She loved her baby more than anything in the world, and Averie was her one and only focus. She had put her clothing line on hold, deciding that she would start again in a few months.

It was obvious to everyone that Lucas loved Brooke. He called her multiple times a day when he couldn't be with her, and Chae always seemed to catch him staring at her with a longing in his eyes. Brooke on the other hand, tried to avoid him as much as she could. It was obvious that she was still hurt by everything that had happened between the two. She had been civil with him, and let him come around whenever he wanted but she was only doing it for her baby. Every time he tried to have a serious talk with her about anything other than Averie, she always made excuses to get away from him. But it was obvious to Chae that her roommate was harvesting feelings for the brooding blonde as well...she just didn't exactly _show_ it in a _conventional_ way.

Haley and Nathan were happy to be parents and loved watching their baby grow. Max was a happy baby and now two and a half months old. Haley and Nathan had decided that they were going to come visit Brooke and Averie in a couple weeks.

Jake and Chae had seemed to be doing good still. They talked on the phone constantly, and made each other happy. Chae had been dating _only_ Jake, which was new for her. Since she had moved to New York, she never dated only one guy so it was big. Brooke figured that Jake would like it if things were more serious between the two of them, but he didn't want to scare Chae away.

"Guess who's coming to see you today baby…" Brooke cooed, smiling down at Averie while she dressed her on her changing table. Brooke gently pulled the neck of Averie's pale purple dress over the babies head before continuing. "Uncle Jake is coming! And he can't wait to see you!"

Brooke smiled at her baby. At two weeks old it seemed like she had already grown and changed so much since the day she was born. Averie's hair was sticking out everywhere; she had more hair than any baby Brooke had ever seen. Brooke ran two fingers over her daughters silky dark locks before she placed a light purple matching bow in it.

"Knock knock" Brooke heard Lucas say as he opened the door to her apartment.

"Daddy's here?" Brooke said in a confused tone, kissing Averie before picking her up and walking into the living room. "Hey Luke" Brooke said, giving him a soft smile as she stood in front of him. "I thought you were leaving today?"

Lucas reached his hands out for Averie, and Brooke handed her to him. "I am, but I just had to stop by and see you two before I left" he said, smiling at Brooke before kissing Averie. "Huh princess, daddy just had to come to say bye" Lucas said to the baby.

"Oh, I see" Brooke said, smiling as she watched Lucas with Averie. She loved to see them together, it was obvious that he loved his daughter, and she was quite fond of her dad as well.

"Her eyes are getting even more blue" Lucas noticed.

Brooke nodded, "Yeah, I really hope they don't change…"

"Yeah, me too…other than the blue eyes, she looks just like you" Lucas said, smiling towards Brooke.

"So, when do you come back?" Brooke asked, changing the subject.

"Our game is tomorrow night, and we come home the next day…we actually get two weeks off from practice after that" Lucas said with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

"Wow, that's like a record, it has got to be exciting" Brooke said shoving her hands in her pockets. "Are you nervous for the game?"

"Um" Lucas said, rocking Averie, "Not really, I mean it's big that we have made it this far…I never thought we would have made it to the finals."

"You guys have had a good season" Brooke agreed, she knew because she had watched every single one of his games, never missing one.

"Yeah I guess so" Lucas said, readjusting Averie in his arms as she started to fuss.

Brooke walked over to the counter and retrieved a white binky, "Here" she said, handing it to Lucas.

He put it in the baby's mouth and she immediately started to calm. "I really don't want to go" Lucas groaned, "I don't want to leave you guys…"

"It's okay Luke" Brooke laughed, "Averie will be fine…"

"I'm gonna miss _you_ too Brooke" Lucas said, his eyes hooking on Brookes.

She shook her head slightly, her eyes losing contact with his as she looked down, "Lucas-"

"It's the truth" he said, waiting for her eyes to look back up at his. When they did he started again, "I hate not seeing you everyday…"

Averie started to cry and Brooke let out the breath she was holding in, thanking Averie silently for breaking the tension. "She's ready to eat again" Brooke informed Lucas, choosing to ignore the last thing he had said.

"Yeah, I need to get going anyways," Lucas said quietly, Brooke could hear the sadness in his voice. "I'll see you soon" he said to the crying baby. He gave Averie a kiss and handed her back to Brooke. "I'll call you when I get there" he told her as he opened the front door.

"Okay" Brooke said softly, lifting a hand to wave to Lucas as he left.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke and Averie had both fallen asleep after Lucas left. They were sleeping in her big bed when Chae and Jake arrived. Chae had learned quickly not to enter the apartment making a lot of noise in case Averie was in fact sleeping. They came in quietly and didn't hear Brooke or Averie.

"Do you think they left?" Jake asked as they stood in the empty living room that was crowded with baby blankets, pacifiers, a motorized swing, a bouncy chair and packages of diapers and wipes.

"I doubt it, Brooke refuses to leave the house with Ave" Chae said with a laugh. "It's too germy out there as Brooke likes to say…I guess don't blame her though…this _is_ New York!"

Jake nodded, "I'm gonna check her room" he told Chae as he leaned down to kiss her quickly.

"I'm happy you're here" Chae smiled as Jake walked away.

"Me too" he smiled back and then turned to walk towards Brooke's room.

He pushed Brooke's door open and saw her and Averie both lying on the big bed asleep. He walked to the side of the bed that Brooke wasn't occupying and sat down on edge of the bed next to Averie who was sound asleep in the middle of the bed.

When he sat down on the bed Averie started to move in her sleep causing Brooke to wake up.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw Jake sitting on the bed. "Jake!" she said with a sleepy grin. "How long have you been here?" She asked, looking down at Averie who was still sleeping.

"I just got here" Jake told her with a smile. He looked down at Averie and ran a finger along the blanket she was wrapped in. "She's beautiful Brooke."

Brooke grinned, looking down at her baby, "She is, isn't she?"

Jake watched Brooke smile at her baby and could tell that she was truly happy. He loved seeing her like this, she was one of his best friends and she deserved to be happy. He knew that she had a tough year, and it was good to see her smiling again.

Brooke sat up and reached for Averie. "Do you wanna hold her?"

"Yeah," Jake smiled, reaching his arms out for the tiny baby. "She has so much hair, a lot more than Max" Jake laughed.

"I know right?" Brooke giggled. "How is Max?"

"He's getting huge! He looks just like Hale's and has the chubbiest cheeks, and he smiles all the time now" Jake told Brooke while he stared at the sleeping baby.

"I can't wait till Ave smiles" Brooke said, reaching out and placing a hand on her baby.

"What's going on in here?" Chae asked, walking into Brooke's room and climbing onto the big bed as well.

"Just letting Ave steal the show as usual" Brooke laughed.

"Of course" Chae nodded in agreement, leaning down to kiss the baby. "How is my favorite girl in the whole wide world?"

"Tired" Brooke laughed, lifting her hand up to her mouth in a yawn.

Chae laughed, hitting Brooke's arm, "Not you! Come on, you know Ave is my favorite!"

Brooke lifted her hand to her heart and feigned shock, "Whatever!"

Jake laughed at the two girls, "You poor thing, living with these two" He said to the sleeping baby.

"You're just jealous" Brooke observed, throwing her arm around Chae's shoulder.

"Jealousy doesn't suit you Jake" Chae nodded, leaning towards Brooke.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Lucas!" his coach yelled from the sidelines during practice. "Focus!" The team stopped playing and all looked towards the coach who sighed, "Time out!"

Lucas jogged over to the benches, picking up a water bottle and taking a long drink. He lowered the bottle from his lips and watched as Kade walked towards him, grabbing a water bottle as well.

"What's your deal?" He asked, keeping distance from Lucas so they wouldn't alarm the coach. "You took my life, you aren't taking my championship too by ruining this game" Kade said, bitterness in his voice.

"_I_ took _your_ life?" Lucas questioned, squinting his eyes.

Kade glared toward Lucas, taking a drink from his water bottle. "Yeah, my life. I was supposed to have the life with Brooke, the baby, the whole nine yards…" He dropped down onto the bench, his hands resting on his bent knees. "And then you came along…and I lost it all…I just hope you realize you have a good thing Lucas, a _great_ thing."

Lucas stood there stunned, was Kade actually being _nice_ to him? Kade, the guy that had to get his nose reset because Lucas had broken it. Was he _really_ being _nice_? Kade obviously didn't know that he and Brooke were barely talking unless it was about their child, or else he wouldn't be jealous.

"Just be good to her…she deserves it" Kade said, patting Lucas' shoulder before running back onto the court.

"Alright guys, you can go…be back in at least two hours before the game" Coach yelled, all of the guys gratefully leaving the court.

Lucas stood by the benches, thinking about what Kade had said. For once Kade knew what he was talking about, and Lucas knew he had something to do.

His Coach was walking out of the gym, when Lucas yelled to stop him.

"What do you need Scott?" He asked, turning back around, an annoyed expression on his face.

"We gotta talk" Lucas said, nodding his head as he sat down on the bench.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

It was Jake's second day in New York and the day of Lucas' big game. They had all decided to stay in for the night and watch it, so Chae and Jake went to get take-out for dinner.

"Alright" Jake called, walking in the door with his arms full of bags. Chae came in behind him holding an Italian Soda for Brooke. "We brought Chinese, is that good for you?"

"Yeah, that sounds really good" Brooke grinned. "Chae, I love you!" Brooke giggled and grinned as she noticed Chae walk in holding the drink she had been craving.

"I don't know how you aren't sick of these already" Chae laughed, handing the cup over to Brooke.

"They are _so_ good!" Brooke smiled, raising her eyebrows as she licked her lips.

"Where's Ava-girl?" Chae asked, laughing as Jake put an arm around her neck, pulling her towards him.

"She's sleeping in the swing, I think she wants to be awake to see her dad play" Brooke told them, dipping a finger into the whipped cream on top of her drink and then licking it off.

"She'll probably sleep through it" Chae laughed.

Jake moved away from Chae and got some plates out of the cupboard. He opened all of the cartons of food while Chae told Brooke about the weird cashier at the grocery store. He put the food on the three plates and pushed one across the counter to each Brooke and Chae.

"Alright you two" Jake said, breaking them from their chatting. "It's time to eat…"

"Thanks Jake" Brooke smiled, picking up her chop-sticks.

"What she said" Chae said through a mouth-full of rice as she pointed towards Brooke with a chop-stick.

"So" Jake started, sitting down next to Chae on a bar stool. "What's going on with you and Lucas?" He asked, leaning around Chae so he could see Brooke.

"What do you mean?" She asked, chewing on a piece of orange chicken.

"You know what he means" Chae said, looking at Brooke with a raised eyebrow.

"He's over here a lot…and he's single…" Jake started.

Chae picked up where he left off, "And you guys have a steamy, hot history…and a baby!"

Brooke dropped her chop sticks onto her plate. "You guys _know_ what happened…_nothing_ is going on between us. He comes over here for _Averie_…"

"You think that's all he comes over here for?" Chae asked with a laugh. "You should see the way he looks at you…"

"Chae-"

"Brooke you know you miss him" Chae said, cutting her off.

"You guys so can't team up on me! This is so not fair!" Brooke whined, poking out her bottom lip.

"We just want you to be happy" Jake said, "And I know you were happy when you were with him…I just want you happy," he said sadly.

"I am happy" Brooke said with a smile, and she was happy. "I have Averie, and my clothes, and you guys…"

"But doesn't it feel like something's missing?" Jake asked, running his hand over Chae's back.

Brooke sat on her stool quietly eating her dinner. "I don't know. I just don't think I can trust him again. It's hard enough seeing him or hearing from him everyday…"

Chae nodded, placing a hand on Brooke's shoulder. "I know honey, it can't be easy. I know you are still hurt, but don't close yourself off from him completely. You could be missing out on something really great."

Brooke nodded sadly, turning back to her food.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"This game is so boring" Chae whined, leaning into Jake's shoulder.

"It is not" Jake said, pulling her closer towards him.

"Maybe _you_ should stop _talking_ so we can pay _attention_" Brooke said, looking at Chae and raising her eyebrows.

"For not liking the guy, you sure do like _watching_ him…" Chae said, looking over at Brooke with raised eyebrows as well.

"Averie likes to watch him" Brooke said, motioning to the sleeping baby in her lap and then sticking her tongue out at Chae.

"Dude" Chae laughed, throwing a hand over her mouth, "She's sleeping!"

"Okay," Jake said, sitting straight up. "You two both need to stop talking…what just happened?" he asked, looking towards the TV.

Brooke turned her attention to it as well and watched as Lucas scratched the back of his head, his usual nervous habit.

_"-And that's two free-throws for Lucas Scott" they heard the announcer say._

"What happened?" Brooke asked, her eyes glued to the screen.

"Someone must've fouled on him" Jake shrugged.

They watched as Lucas shot two free throws, making them both.

They were all excited when the Knicks won the game stealing the championship. The reporters were talking after the game was over and that's when Brooke and Chae decided to leave the room because it got extra boring.

The girls all went into Brooke's room and Chae got Averie changed into her pajama's and ready for bed.

"I hope she sleeps tonight" Chae said, buttoning up Averie's onsie.

"I know, she's slept a lot today" Brooke agreed.

"Alright, here ya go" Chae smiled, kissing Averie on the head as she passed her over to Brooke.

Brooke grabbed one of Averie's blankets, covering her as she fed the baby.

"How are you and Jake doing?" Brooke asked as Chae climbed onto the bed and sat next to her.

"We are doing good" Chae smiled, "It's no pressure right now ya know, we are just having fun…enjoying each other…"

"He really likes you" Brooke said with a small smile.

"Brooke!" Jake yelled, interrupting their conversation. "Chae! You guys, come in here!"

Chae and Brooke looked at each other, both confused by Jake's sudden yelling. Brooke looked down at Averie, who was still breastfeeding and shrugged, obviously not planning on moving.

"I'll be back" Chae said, seeing that Brooke couldn't get up at the moment. She ran out of the room and a second later she was yelling, "Brooke! Come here, you gotta see this" She yelled, her voice growing closer as she entered Brooke's bedroom once more.

"What's going on?" Brooke asked growing concerned as she wrapped her arms around Averie trying not to disrupt the feeding baby when she stood up.

"It's Lucas" Chae said, quickly walking into the living room, this time with Brooke and Averie in tow.

"What's going-"

"Shh" Jake demanded, cutting Brooke off and pointing to the TV.

"_So, Lucas Scott, after two years with the New York Knicks, what made you decide to resign? You just had a killer season and a lot of opportunity with this team…" A reporter asked, sticking his microphone into Lucas' face._

_Lucas was standing next to his coach, "Well, it's actually a personal reason. I know it is a big deal, and it seems like I am losing a lot by resigning, but actually I think I am gaining much more" he said, a smile gracing his face._

"_And what do you think about all of this? Mr. Scott here is your number one shooting guard? He is obviously going to be a big loss to your team" a second reporter asked, this time shoving the microphone into the coach's face._

"_We are very upset to lose him; he has been a great asset to this team. But Mr. Scott and I have had a long talk, and I am happy for him and wish him the best in life" Lucas' coach replied with a reassuring smile._

"_We heard you have recently been divorced? Does this have anything to do with that?" a third reporter asked._

_Lucas smiled into the camera, "Well, that is a very personal question, and no it has nothing to do with my former wife. The divorce was mutual, and there are no hard feelings. We are better off apart, and I am for once happy with my life."_

"_Alright, no more questions" Lucas coach said, cutting in and putting an arm around Lucas, ushering him away from the hounding reporters._

"What is he thinking!" Brooke asked, her eyes growing wide as Jake turned the volume down on the television. "I mean why would he do that! He has worked too hard to just leave the team! Why would he just leave!"

Jake and Chae both looked at each other and began to laugh.

"Brooke" Chae said with a laugh, resting her hand on Brooke's shoulder, "You really don't see why he is doing this?"

"No!" Brooke said, shock still in her voice. Chae reached for Averie who was done eating and Brooke stayed covered up under the blanket. "He is obviously insane!"

"You, Brooke" Jake said, smiling at his friend.

"Me what?" Brooke asked, adjusting her shirt under the blanket and then handing the baby blanket to Chae. "I'm not insane! Don't call _me_ insane when _he_ just threw away his career that millions of guys would die to have!"

"No, no" Jake laughed, "You…_you_ are why he left the team…"

Chae nodded, she had lifted Averie to her shoulder now and was burping her. "Told you he loves you!" Chae teased, raising an eyebrow at Brooke.

"That's stupid, you guys are just as crazy as he is" Brooke said, shaking her head. "That just doesn't make sense."

"Oh, but it does" Chae grinned, "He loves you, he wants to be with you…he wants to show you that he is serious about being here for you, here _with_ you…its kind of pathetic" she laughed.

"You guys are ridiculous" Brooke said, still shaking her head. She didn't get why they were even saying that. Why would Lucas leave the team for her? That was just plain stupid. She didn't care if he played basketball anyways. If she wasn't confused before, she was now. Her ringing cell phone pulled her out of her thoughts quickly.

She stood from the couch and walked towards her phone which was sitting on the kitchen counter. She lifted the phone, and after looking at the caller id she flipped it open.

"Hello" she answered.

"_Brooke, it's me" Lucas said._

Brooke frowned, he sounded broody and worn out. "I know…"

"_I'm coming home tonight" he said, "I'm sure it'll be too late to come over when I get home, but can I stop by in the morning?"_

"Yeah, sure" Brooke said casually. "That's fine."

"_Good" he said smiling. "Cause I really need to talk to you…"_

**A/N: Okay, so were ya'll expecting that?? haha. Probably...I just like to pretend like I'm good with surprises, but whatever! Okay, so I guess I'll just _stop_ rambling and get on with it! **

**..:Thank You's:..**

**onetreehillgirl066- Well hello! Way to win the very first reviewer award!! I'm sure glad that you like Chae now! (Wow I sounded hick-ish in that sentance it was awesome). I like Chae too...she is safe to trust! I think Brooke deserves GOOD friends, so don't worry, Chae won't stab Brooke in the back from the front :) Thanks for the revieeew!!**

**Lydia (TutorGrrl)- So glad you are still liking the story :) And I'm also pleased that you understand Brooke's reasons when it comes to Lucas!! Thank you for your review, it is hiiighly appreciated!!**

**onetreefan- Eventually I will zoom into the future, but I'm not going to do that for a couple chapters. I am going to keep Averie a infant for at least three more chapters...but eventually I will fast-forward...I don't know how big of jumps I will do though. But I hope that sorta answered your question haha. I especially hope it didn't confuse you more cuz I'm known for rambling haha. Anyways, thanks for the review! They totally make my day!!**

**sweetchristie03- Haha i guess i'll just say that i agree completely with your review. haha. but i think i probably most likely always agree with your reviews so keep them coming cuz i looove them! hahaa. Thank you!**

**Jem (flipflopgal)- Heeey you! Brucas families are the best :) And they are always so good looking too :) Haha, thanks for your review! xoxox!**

**IamCaroline- Okay, so I was totally wondering where you were and I'm sad to find out you've been in the hospital :( how are you doing now? Getting better everyday I hope...Thank you for your review! I've been missing them! I always love to hear what you have to say so thank you. and i hope you enjoyed this chapter as well :) Get better ;)**

**BrucasNaleyLuvr- Hey...its you! haha. Geez glad I've been like talking to you all freaking day. haha jk i love it! Anyways, you need to get your story sent to me so i can read the chapter...okay? okay! anyways, i hope this chapter was good...tell me the truth ahhahhaa. talk to you soon! love ya buddy!**

**brucas3-Thank you for your review! It was perfect and exactly the type of thing I like to read! So thank youuu tons!! I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far!!**

**Chasity (chasitybsp)- I love your reviews :) oh and its all good about the spoilers, my friend like has told me every spoiler about the rest of the season, I don't even know why I watch it anymore haha. So its really no big deal if you mention something, cuz Ive most likely heard the main gist of the storyline anyways! haha. Anyways. Thanks for always reviewing cuz I just love them!!**

**othfan326- So I just typed up a freaking long 'speech' from Lucas in an upcoming chapter :) so if you liked the one in the last chapter, then you'll like the one I just typed. haha. Thanks for your review. Loved it as usual :)**

**dolcegrazia- hey its you! It was great to hear that you liked the last chapter cuz i was really un-sure about it! Thank you oh so much for reviewing every single chapter. You are so dedicated and I love it! thank you times a million!**

**reina123- I'm so glad you loved the last chapter! I hope you liked this one too! thank you for always reviewing!!**

**Bella- don't worry, brucas will work out in the end :) Thanks for always reviewing! It makes me sooo happy!!**

**chebelle- hooray for your amazing review!! I could go into mad detail about your review, but it woud take too long so I'm just gonna say I loved every second of it! like for reals! I love updating fast for you hahaa. Anyways. thanks for your review, and for always reviewing in general. xooxx.**

**Brucas3Naley23- No, thank you for reviewing!! HAhaa. I'm happy to write for you guys! I hope you liked this chapter, thanks for the review!!**

**BrOoKe DaViS23- I'm so glad you are still liking the story! Its gonna be a sad day if you ever don't like it. haha. thanks for always reviewing :)**

**Sara (Brucas2006)- Okay buddy. You are my favorite! I can't believe you reviewed boooth chapters haha. you are awesome, you know that right? So I have two comments for you. 1- i love your imagination...brooke was def. wearing an old college tshirt in that scene, i was just waiting for someone to pick up on it! and 2- your rambling is my favorite! I think its when i understand you the most hehe. And to answer your question, yeah, Lucas is a sort of celebrity...but they don't know about brooke and the baby yet...but they will soon :) way to go catching that detail friend! I don't remember if I told you I love your reviews!! Anyways, i miss you! Ummm BRFF!!**

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- hahaha we had a fun time with colored un-hard boiled eggs too. hahahaa. its like the best story ever, too long to type here though!! So I'm glad you still love this story! And I love you! haha. Good luck with all your pracitces! Just watch OTH dvds! That'll keep you entertained!! MUUAH!**

**brucas333- yaay brucas baby! I'm glad you are happy! I hope you liked this chapter too! Thanks for the review!!**

**courtneylovejason- okay, so i'm pretty much talking to you right now so its kinda silly i'm like writing you a note here too. haha. your reviews are insane. that one was so long, i loved it! but you already know that! oh, and your story is better than mine! haha! I win, cuz you can't argue back!! bahahahaa. thanks for always reviewing your long crazy loveable reviews ahhaa. Oh and its okay to spell genius witha j...really, it is ;)**

**brucas2008- hi friend! yyaaay for you still liking this story!! if you really wanna read my other story, just click on my broodyandcheeryforever at the top of this page and scroll down and there will be alist of my stories! I suggest reading these days, not the other one haha. anyways. thank you for your review! i love them!!**

**Katherine- Its you! I just tried putting an exclamation point in your name while i was typing it cuz I got so excited haha. I seriously loved your review. and i hope you were being completely honest cuz i think you were being too nice ahhaa. ohhh and i'm not jumping ahead! Averie will be a tiny baby for at least 3 more chapters...yeah...no jumping yet! I like them with a tiny baby too..i love reading everything you think about the chapter and i wish i could comment on every single detail of your review but it would take forever, so just know i like love every bit of your reviews and i totally look forward to them! I hope this chapter was okay as well...let me know! You are the best!! XOXOXOX!!**

**lilohb- Thank you for your review! I always look out for them!! OH, and thanks for always reviewing every single time, i totally appreciate it :)**

**LoVeBRucas- I heart you...like literally with my heart. Your reviews are way too kind haha. I'm not gonna skip ahead just yet, there will be a few more chapters of baby averie, and lucas and brooke are getting closer to being all hott and sexy i promise! hehe. how was the wisdom teeth? i'm gonna have to get mine out and i'm scared as hell so give me details haha. Ps. i love your reviews like everything about them, so seriously, i love them and you are awesome!! XOXOX!**

**erika- Guess what! I'll tell ya, I love your reviews!! Okay, so I'm totally gonna have to go downtown to the little Ben&Jerry store and get the ice cream there! I just like totally am craving it, even though I've never had it haha. I agree, brucas are just awesome together. i couldn't have said it better myself :) haha. thanks for the review. love it!**

**queen08- awww thank you soo much for your review! I'm so glad you love my stories! Don't worry, brucas will be together and it'll be worth the wait :) and about these days...i haven't really thought about doing a sequel...but i might have to consider it after i finish this story because a lot of people seem to love that story :) thank you so much for your review, i really appreciate it and i really enjoyed reading it!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**XPeytonXPunknDisorderly**- **Hey! Welcome to the story! I'm totally glad that you found it and like it!! thank you so much for your review! and no worries...brucas will be together :) hope you liked this chapter :)**

**Nat (ilovemedou)-Okay, i agree, we need chae into the show! Lets petition it! hahhaa. It really is a great idea though...i agree with your lucas statement...he is sooo not my fave. and compare him to dan...i don't mind haha. at least dan is humorous!! lucas isn't even funny anymore! and to answer the question...i would rather have luke w/ lindsey cuz i can't stand him and peyton together, they are too depressing and broody, it worries me! and i think lindsey is nice and gets along with everyone! and she has a good name!! who would you rather have him with?? i'm really enjoying owen at the moment too :) Anyways...thanks for the review! I seriously love you and am soo glad you found this story! its like comforting haha. **

Alright everyone! NOw that i know your reveiwing potential you all better be reviewing! haha. just trying to sound tough. anyways. thanks once again. you all are amazing!! I hope you liked this chapter!!


	22. Upside Down

**A/N: Okay, so to be honest, I'm pretty much shocked by all of the reviews I got for the last chapter!_ 32_ Reviews!! I seriously am so excited, I have never gotten that many reviews before and it really is just pretty great! I really do appreciate all of you that take the time to review this story, even if it is just a few lines. Every review makes a difference and keeps this story going! So I can't thank you enough, but thank you's are at the bottom :) The song in thischapter is one of my favorites, I think its a beautiful song, and I really wanted to put it in this story somewhere, because I think the lyrics I used especially just fit Brucas in general! Anyways, the song is 'Where Is Your Heart' by Kelly Clarkson. I hope you guys like this chapter :)**_

* * *

_

_Is it so hard to give me what I need_

_I want your heart to bleed_

_And that's all I'm asking for_

_Where is your heart?_

**Chapter Twenty-Two- Upside Down**

Brooke couldn't sleep at all that night…there was just too much happening at once, and it was a lot to think about. She lay in her bed, watching as Averie slept soundly beside her. She ran her fingers over the baby's' hair gently.

"When did everything get so confusing" she whispered into the dark, quiet room.

Brooke leaned her head down on her pillow and couldn't help but think about Lucas. She just couldn't figure out why he'd just give up basketball like that. She wondered if it really did have something to do with _her_. It couldn't have anything to do with her she decided. Her and Lucas were nothing right now; she wouldn't even really consider them friends. All they were was parents to the perfect baby that was sleeping next to her.

Brooke heard someone moving around in the hallway and that took her out of her thoughts. She watched her door as it slowly moved open and Jake peeked inside.

"Hey" he said softly watching as Brooke slowly sat up.

"Hey" Brooke said back, just as quietly so that Averie wouldn't wake up. "What are you doing awake?" Brooke asked, she glanced at the clock noticing it was just past three in the morning.

"I could hear you thinking from the other room" Jake said with a laugh.

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Whatever, I'm sure _that's_ not _why_ you were up…" she said raising an eyebrow at the messy haired boy.

Jake shook his head, "Get your mind out of the gutter Davis, Chae's been asleep for hours…now come on, lets get some hot chocolate and you can tell me what's on your mind."

Brooke nodded, and looked at Averie who was still sleeping before she slowly climbed off of the bed and followed Jake into the kitchen. She sat down on a bar stool as he retrieved two coffee mugs out of the cupboard and started making their hot chocolate.

Brooke pulled her feet up onto the stool and hugged her knees against her as she watched him.

"So, what's going on Brooke?" Jake asked as he handed her a mug.

She pursed her lips together and shrugged her shoulders.

"Come on" He said, motioning towards the living room. She followed him in there and sat on the big couch as he turned on a lamp. He grabbed a blanket from the basket next to the couch and handed it to Brooke.

"Thanks" she smiled as she laid the blanket over her legs.

They sat in the silence for a few minutes, sipping on their warm drink while they got lost in their thoughts.

"I'm just so confused" Brooke sighed, breaking the silence. "I mean, everything is just so crazy and everything is changing…"

"It's okay to be confused, you have a lot going on right now" Jake said, looking over at Brooke who was staring straight in front of her.

"Do you _really_ think Lucas leaving the team had something to do with me?" Brooke asked quietly, looking over at Jake.

"I don't know Brooke" Jake shrugged. "But from what I've seen and heard, I think it could be a possibility. Maybe he's just realizing what's important in his life. You did say he has been traveling a lot for basketball, and when he isn't traveling he's in practice all day, maybe he isn't around as much as he'd like to be…"

Brooke nodded slowly and looked down into her cup.

"It's okay to miss him Brooke…"

Brooke exhaled deeply, "It's like he comes into my life and turns it upside down. I started to be okay, and then he goes and divorces Peyton…now he's always over here and calling all the time and I don't know what to think. I want to hate him…I just can't…"

"I don't know what to tell you, this is obviously something that you will have to work through by yourself. But I am here for you whenever you need me. And so are Chae, Nate and Hale's…just don't shut us out, or Lucas even." Jake told her, he scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around Brooke's shoulder. "I know how you can get Penelope. Just remember to follow your heart; maybe put yourself out there…"

Brooke nodded and leaned back into the couch as Jake unwrapped his arm from her. Was Jake really rooting for Lucas? If she wasn't confused before, she definitely was confused now. The friends sat in silence for what seemed like hours until they both heard soft, high pitched cries coming from Brooke's bedroom.

"I'll see you in the morning" Jake said to Brooke as she stood up with a smile on her face. She really did love that baby…

"Kay" Brooke nodded with a small smile as she walked towards her baby's cries.

"Get some sleep Brooker" Jake ordered, eliciting a small laugh from the brunette.

Brooke immediately went towards her bed and picked up her crying baby. Averie immediately started to calm down just with Brooke's arms wrapped around her. Averie slowly closed her sleepy eyes leaving alone Brooke with her thoughts once more.

"_I think you need me just as much as I need you, and you are just scared…"_

The line kept running through her head as if it was playing on repeat. When she closed her eyes, she could see Lucas saying it again. His bright blue eyes burning into hers, the way his hand felt against her arm, and the serious, hopeful, yet scared look that was gracing his features.

**XObrucasXObrucasXObrucasXO**

"Is it too early?" Lucas asked as Chae opened the door of her apartment.

Chae laughed, "No its fine…Brooke's still asleep though" she told him with a shrug as she turned and walked into the apartment.

Lucas closed the front door and followed her inside. "That's okay. Is Averie sleeping too?"

Chae sat down on the couch in the living room, curling her legs underneath her. "Yeah. Brooke was up maybe an hour ago feeding her then they both went back to sleep…"

Lucas nodded and then walked towards Brooke's room, "I'm gonna go get Ave…"

Lucas disappeared into the hallway and a few moments later Jake appeared in the living room. "Who was at the door?" he asked, pulling a t-shirt on as he walked towards Chae and sat down next to her on the couch.

"Lucas" Chae said plainly, immediately curling her body into Jake's as he wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Why is he here so early?" Jake asked, thinking about the late night talk he had with Brooke.

"I guess to see his baby…I don't know!" Chae giggled.

Lucas came back into the living room now holding a tiny, sleeping Averie. "Do you mind if I just hang around until Brooke wakes up?" he asked nervously, sitting on a chair in the corner of the living room.

"No its fine" Chae smiled. She leaned her head into Jake's chest and he slowly rubbed her arm.

"Thanks" Lucas muttered, adjusting the blanket that was wrapped around the sleeping baby. Lucas looked up, noticing Chae and Jake, "So you _were_ here for Chae…" Lucas laughed, referring to when he last saw Jake.

"Actually I was here for Brooke _that_ night" Jake said with a nod. Lucas' eyes widened at Jake's words. "No, I mean…just as a friend" Jake stuttered, trying to clear things up. Chae laughed watching as Jake's face started to turn pink.

**XObrucasXObrucasXObrucasXO**

Brooke wandered out of her bedroom in search of her baby. She figured Jake or Chae must've come in and taken her, so now it was just a matter of finding them. She walked into the living room rubbing her eyes and when she removed her hands she noticed Lucas holding Averie while sitting on the couch talking to Jake. Yeah, this was definitely weird.

"Hey" she said, sleep still evident in her extra raspy voice.

Lucas looked up, noticing Brooke standing in the entryway in striped pajamas and an oversized sweatshirt. Her hair was sticking up in all different directions and she had a sleepy look in her eyes. Just seeing her made him smile.

"You're finally up" Lucas grinned, slowly moving the wide-awake baby back and forth.

"I'm gonna go help Chae in the kitchen" Jake said nervously, excusing himself from the room.

Brooke nodded and walked towards Lucas and Averie, sitting down next to them on the couch. She ran a finger down her baby's cheek and smiled. "How is she?" Brooke asked, looking up at Lucas.

"Perfect" Lucas smiled, connecting his eyes with Brooke's. She quickly averted her eyes back to her daughter, but could still feel Lucas' eyes burning through her.

"Why'd you do it Luke?" Brooke asked quietly after a few minutes of complete silence. She kept her eyes fixed on her baby who was sucking on a pink pacifier while staring at her dad.

"Do what?" Lucas asked, not sure of what Brooke was talking about.

"Leave the team Lucas" she said sternly, finally looking up at him.

"Oh" Lucas said, looking around the room. "That…"

"Yeah…_that_."

"It just…" Lucas started, holding Brooke's eyes on his as he tried to find the right words. "It just wasn't very-"

"Is this yours?" Chae asked interrupting Lucas, bounding into the room and holding up a ringing cell phone.

Lucas and Brooke both looked up at Chae, frustration on both of their faces.

"Did I interrupt something?" She asked cluelessly as she waved the ringing phone around in the air. Brooke raised her eyebrows at Chae. "O-kay…so I did. Is this yours or not?"

"Yeah" Lucas said, removing himself from his thoughts. "It is. Thanks."

Chae rolled her eyes and handed him the phone before bouncing out of the room.

"This thing has been ringing non-stop since last night" Lucas said, shaking his head as he pressed the ignore button on his cell phone. "I swear, reporters and magazines were never interested in me until I _left_ the team!"

Brooke nodded unenthused, "Yeah, funny how that works."

"So you want to know why I left the team?" Lucas asked, knowing already that she did want to know.

"Yeah" Brooke sighed, tipping her head to the side. "It just doesn't make sense."

Lucas looked down at Averie whose tiny mouth was opened wide into a yawn causing her pacifier to fall out. He smiled as he stared down at the tired baby. He then looked over at Brooke, "It's crazy, you know I never thought I would want to settle down and raise a family. Basketball was my life, and I never imagined putting any girl or child in front of that. Basketball was always going to be my number one, I just knew it…"

Brooke looked at him with a confused expression. She had no idea where this was going and why Lucas was even telling her this.

"Especially after marrying Peyton. It wasn't even really my idea to marry her. I did it because I thought it would boost my career…I was told that it would. How horrible is that? I got _married_ to further my career. That's how single-minded I was when it came to basketball." He said, shaking his head obviously feeling a little dumb for his actions.

"If you love basketball so much, why did you give it up then?" Brooke asked, her hand moving along Averie's tiny arms as the baby drifted into sleep.

"Well…" Lucas started again, his eyes meeting Brooke's. He watched as she nervously bit on her bottom lip but still kept her eyes attached to his. "After I met you, I realized there was more to life than basketball."

"Lucas, don't say that…we didn't even know each other for that long…" Brooke sighed, tipping her head back in frustration.

"Yeah, but you were different. I was so captivated by you, by _all_ of _you_, and that has never happened before. All I thought about _was_ you…all I still think about is _you_" He admitted. Brooke looked a little shocked and nervous so Lucas decided to continue. "All those months that we didn't talk…it killed me. I wanted more than anything to be the man that you needed me to be, the man that I wanted to be but I guess a part of me still wasn't willing to ruin the image I had worked so hard to build. But all of that time apart only made my feelings stronger and more secure. I had my old life back, the life that I was happy with before you came into it but something was different. I wasn't happy anymore. Basketball became more of a chore than a pleasure and I wanted more than anything to be near you."

Brooke could feel her eyes welling up with tears and she didn't want them spilling out onto her cheeks that were slowly turning pale. Before she could stop them, they ran down her soft skin, leaving hot streaks. "Then why didn't you tell me Lucas" She cried, her voice shaking with each word. "Why didn't you fight for me? You didn't even try…you just let me go Lucas" Brooke cried, the tears now streaming down her cheeks continuously. "You left me. You left us..."

Lucas felt his heart breaking into pieces as he watched her cry. Knowing that he was the one that caused this sadness, hurt and anger had made it even worse. "Brooke" he said softly as she wiped at the tears on her cheeks. He stood quickly and laid Averie down in her swing that was set up next to the couch. After turning the swing on so that it gently rocked the baby he returned to his spot on the couch next to Brooke. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. She stiffened up at first before relaxing in his arms, her hands rested against his chest as she cried.

"Why did you leave?" she cried into his chest as he rubbed his hands along her back.

"Not being with you killed me Brooke" Lucas said into her hair. "It wasn't fair for me to stay with you while my life was out of order and I knew that…I couldn't do that to you. I wanted to leave Peyton, but I had to do it in the right way so that I could still live my life. Maybe that was the wrong choice, maybe I shouldn't have let you go so easily but I always had every intention of leaving her and being with you." Lucas said, his arms continuously running down her back. 

He paused for a moment before leaning his head next to hers, "I want you to know that I think I love you Brooke" he said the last part quieter into her hair as he ran a hand through it. He knew that saying it was a risk…Brooke was right, they hadn't known each other for a very long time. But he had to let her know how he was feeling, let her know where his heart was.

Brooke pulled away from him, the tears immediately stopping. She was left speechless and had no idea what to say to him.

He noticed that she probably wasn't going to be saying anything anytime soon and he couldn't blame her. He took the chance to continue talking. "I was sitting there, practicing with my team the day before the basketball finals. That is something I have always dreamed of. But as I practiced, all I could think of was being here with you and Averie. I couldn't concentrate on the game, or on anything else. All I could think of was getting the game done and over with so I could be with you two again. I realized it doesn't matter, none of it matters. All that matters is you and Averie. That's all I really need to make me happy and its all I want."

"But you could've had the game too Lucas" Brooke said, choosing to put the 'I love you' out of her mind for a moment.

Lucas smiled softly, lifting a hand and placing it on top of hers. "Yeah I could've," he told her, giving her hand a light squeeze. "But I couldn't face the fact of having to leave you two to play. It's not my life anymore Brooke, its just not…"

"Lucas" Brooke said, her eyes dropping down and her lips curving into a frown.

"I know I hurt you Brooke," he said raising a finger to her chin and lifting her head gently so that her eyes met his. "I know I hurt you and I know that you don't want to be with me right now. But I'm not going to give up on us. I'll be here waiting, as long as it takes you to realize you need me too. You're the girl for me Brooke Davis, you'll see…"

Brooke looked down, biting on her bottom lip. She could still feel his hand heavy on top of hers and his other finger lightly grazing her chin. She lifted her head looking at him once more and slowly brought her face closer towards his. She kept her eyes locked on his as her face became close enough to feel his breath on her lips. She was about to brush her lips against his when a ringing noise interrupted them. She pulled away from him quickly and saw his phone ringing and lighting up on the coffee table.

Lucas groaned before reaching for his cell phone. He read the name on the screen and gave Brooke a nervous smile, "do you mind if I answer this?"

"No" Brooke said, her voice coming out in a mere squeak. She was actually happy for the interruption.

Lucas clicked a button on the phone before raising it to his ear. "Mouth?"

Brooke scrunched her face at the odd name Lucas had recited into the phone. _'Mouth'_ she mouthed to Lucas as she scrunched up her nose with a questioning look on her face.

"_Hey Luke! Yeah it's me…Listen, we just got home from Australia, and we heard the big news about you quitting basketball! What's that all about? Tell me it's a joke…"_

"I didn't know you guys were back" Lucas laughed, ignoring the basketball part.

"_Hey dumb-ass" Rachel said, taking the phone from mouth, "What the hell were you thinking?"_

"It's a long story, put Mouth back on" Lucas sighed, not in the mood to talk to the fire-cracker red-head.

_Rachel groaned before handing the phone back to Mouth. "No really, what were you thinking?"_

"It's a long story" Lucas said, smiling over at Brooke who was oblivious to the conversation he was having.

"_Well, what do you say we meet up later? We haven't heard from you in months…"_

"Yeah, the phone goes both ways." Lucas shrugged, "We'll have to plan a time, but I'm kind of busy right now so can I call you later?"

Lucas said his goodbyes and placed his phone back on the coffee table, turning back to face Brooke. "Sorry about that" he said.

"Who is _Mouth_" Brooke said in a funny tone with raised eyebrows.

Lucas laughed, "Well, he is my best friend from High School. I haven't talked to him in nearly a year and of course he calls the day after I walk away from basketball."

"Mmm" Brooke nodded, "Isn't that ironic?"

Lucas chuckled. "Yeah…" He ran a hand through his spiked hair, his voice turning serious again, "So where's your head Brooke, where does this leave us?" he was dying to know what she was thinking since he just spilled his heart to her. She hadn't really been talking much, and it was making him nervous. But he knew that no matter what she thought or said, he wouldn't regret anything that he had told her.

Brooke shrugged, "I guess that leaves us…" she thought about it, not really knowing where it did leave them. "I guess that leaves us as friends?" She knew that she wasn't ready for a relationship with Lucas, and even though there were obviously feelings there, she didn't know if she would ever be ready for a relationship with him. A friend was the best that she could do right now, and she knew even that may be hard.

Lucas nodded, "Yeah, friends" he said with a smile. He knew that Brooke even agreeing to be his friend was a big step, and he was willing to take any part of the brunette he could get.

Brooke and Lucas heard the front door open and shut and watched the entry way as Jake and Chae came into the living room.

"Should we, uh, leave?" Chae asked, noticing Brooke and Lucas still sitting on the couch where they were most likely talking about something important.

"No, you can stay" Brooke smiled nodding at the two.

"Are you sure?" Jake asked, his arm locked around Chae's shoulders as they stood in the doorway.

"Yeah its fine" Brooke said while Lucas nodded in agreement this time.

"When did you guys leave anyways?" Lucas asked.

"We've been gone for awhile now" Chae giggled.

"You are still in your pajamas" Brooke pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

"We just went down to breakfast" Jake told her as Chae wriggled free from Jake's embrace.

"Oh" Brooke said with a sharp nod.

"So" Chae said, unfastening Averie from her swing and picking her up. "What did you two talk about while we were gone?" She asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Brooke and Lucas shared a quick glance before Brooke laughed lightly. "We're friends Chae, _friends_!"

"That's it?" Chae said with a tint of disappointment in her voice. She walked over to the chair that Jake was sitting in and climbed on his lap, resting Averie against her shoulder.

"Yeah" Lucas confirmed with a wide grin, "but hey, it's a start."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

**A/N: Okay, so Brucas are slowly making their way back to each other :) How was it?? I hope you all liked it!! Make sure and let me know! You guys are amazing! Seriously!! I love you all! XOXOXLindsay**

**...Thank You's...**

**onetreehillgirl066- Wow, you are seriously owning the very first reviewer spot! Way to be on top of things, thats amazing!! Yaay for Lucas finally seeing the light!! haha. Brooke is so much better than Basketball!! Hehe. Thank you for your review!**

**lilohb- Thank you thank you! You are always awesome with reviewing every chapter and its awesome! I hope you liked this chapter :)**

**Leah (dolcegrazia)- Heeey! I am glad you love how everything is happening in the story! I'm sure you loved this chapter if you liked the last one hehe. Thats awesome that you were reading this at 130 am! haha. Thats usually what time I update haha. I don't know why I always update so late at night, I just am a night owl I guess hahaha. Well, Thank you for alwaaays reviewing!! I always watch out for your reviews!!**

**bella- I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope you loved this one too! Thanks for always reviewing, even if it is suuuper late at night when I update haha. **

**sweetchristie03- I'm glad that you are liking the Chae/Jake relationship! I'm glad that Chae is being taken so well by everyone seeing as she is totally from my imagination hahaha. Thank you for your review, its great to hear what you are thinking. I wasn't gonna put the whole Kade part in there, but I just kinda decided to last minute...but don't worry, Lucas was thinking about resigning even before he talked to Kade! haha. Thanks for always reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**reina123- haha thanks for your review! Don't worry, Brucas are getting closer together! Thanks for reviewing every chapter! That really is pretty awesome! **

**onetreefan- Thank you for your review! I think you are pretty awesome too! I hope you are liking the story so far! Thanks for the review, it was greatly appreciated!!**

**Jem (flipflopgal)- I am glad that you are liking the story so much! I like to update fast to keep your guys' attention, so I'm glad its working. I just hate reaading stories that are updated so rarely that when there is an update you have to read previous chapters to know whats happening. And how to pronounce Ave...lets see if I can explain it with words. I gues its the big A sound...not the little a sound...its pronounced just how Averie is, just saying the first part of the name and not saying the end. Wow, I'm sure that made no sense at all. I will use the nickname Ava too, I just wasn't sure if I should thats why I slipped it in there once ahha. Anyways, thanks for aaaalllways reviewing! I always watch for yours!!**

**Lydia (TutorGrrl)- I'm glad you are liking the story!! And yes, I thought Jake would be a good voice of reasoning, so of course he had to join Chae on team Brucas ahaha. Thanks for your review, they always make me happy!!**

**IamCaroline- I'm glad you are getting better everyday..that is really good to hear. Its also good you seem to be in good spirits :) I am also glad you liked that chapter! It was sorta full of shockers, Kade being nice...Lucas peaceing out on basketball..haha. I'm glad you like Chae and Jake too! They so are like Brucas!! Maybe thats why they rock! Haha. Anyways, thank you soo much for your reviews! I totally love them, thank you for always reviewing!!**

**chebelle- Haha, I agree with you, Lucas totally can't lose his body and they gym can only do him good!! haha. I'm glad you liked that he left the team, he can definitely do other things in life and still be happy!! I really love reading your reviews! They are so encouraging, and it's just really refreshing!! I'm so glad you like the story so far, and I hope I continue to do a good job with it and that you'll like it! Thanks for always reviewing! I always get excited to see a review from you in my inbox!!**

**BrucasNaleyLuvr- Hey friend!! Well, I hope you liked this chapter even though you already got a small sample of it! Hahaa. I will talk to you soon! Miss you! LoveLoveLove!!**

**othfan326- I totally loved your review! And I'm sooo glad that you understand the whole drama between Lucas..Haley..Jake..Chae. Cuz thats exactly where I was going with it so I'm glad you caught on! Haley didn't get to see Brooke when she was happy with Luke..only when she was hurting because of Luke, so of course Haley won't like him! But Chae and JAke realized how happy Lucas makes Brooke so they know that he can be good for her! I'm glad you are thinking the same as me haha. Thats always good! Thanks for your review, and for always reviewing in general! They really help me write this story!!**

**brucas3- I sure hope you liked the brucas in this chapter! You are right, him leaving the team was totally a declaration of his love for Brooke!! Thanks for reviewinG! I love them!!**

**Chasity (chasitybsp)- Yaaay! I hope that every chapter just keeps getting better than the last hahaah. I hope you liked this chapter!! And I hope you had a great weekend!! Thanks for always reviewing! I always keep an eye out for yours :)**

**XPeytonXPunknDisorderly****- I so loved your review! It was just totally encouraging!! Brucas just keeps getting closer together :) I hope you liked this chapter!! Thanks for reviewing!!**

**austingirl76- I'm so glad you love this story and get excited when I update! That is totally my goal, so I'm glad I'm achieving it!! Haha. Thank you for reviewing :)**

**courtneylovejason- Well, hello! I hope you like this chapter, considering you are most likely reading this before you read the actual chapter hahaha. It's a good one, let me tell you that. Oh, and I think you are going to enjoy it!! I hope you had a fun weekend babysitting!! But now you should stop reading this and go read the chapter, cuz I know you want to! haha. Thanks for always leaving long, silly, reviews with your whole thought process. haha. I love reading them!!**

**Brucas True Love- Haha, I'm glad I shocked you with the last chapter! But it is all happening for the good of Brucas haha. I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- Hey buddy!! How are you?? hahaha...people always leave! I'm so glad that sometimes they come back though. People always leave is like one of my favorite Peyton lines...its just so funny and depressing all at the same time! hehehee. I'm so glad that you are planning Tree Hill partys! I had one last night with my tree hill virgin Malorie! I think it went pretty well! Lets just say she is not on Team Peyton!! hahaa. Leave it to us to spread the tree hill love one party at a time. haha. don't forget to get sunkist for your party since its pretty much the official drink of OTH! haha. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! People always leave...so I'm outta here! Hahaaaa. LOVE YOU!!**

**brucas2008- I am sooo glad that you are loving this story!! I hope you liked this chapter as well! Ohh, and I'm happy you are liking 'These Days'!! Let me know how you like that one too! It is a pretty long story, so good luck finishing it! haha. Anyways, thank you a million for reviewing!!**

**BrOoKe DaViS23- Hahaha, I'm so glad it will never be a sad day for me! That is totally reassuring! Thank you!! I'm glad I surprised you with the Lucas leaving thing! Haha. I hope you liked this chapter as well! Thank you for being a great reviewer!!**

**Brucas3Naley23- Haha, glad I totally surprised you with that last chapter! Thats awesome!! I hope you liked this chapter too! haha. Thanks for reviewing :)**

**Katherine- Thank you so much for your review! I always love your reviews because they are always so encouraging and give me a reason to keep writing this story and keep updating. Thank you for noticing how quickly I update haha. I enjoy updating for you guys, so all the time it takes to write this story makes it worth it just to read reviews like yours! So thank you so much! But I'm pretty sure you already know that I really love your reviews extra lots! I agree with you, the toddler year is sooo much fun! I actually have been working with kids for a little over two years, and the toddlers are my favorite! They are just learning about everything and so curious and cute and sweet and I love them! So I will have to be writing about Averie being a toddler, just because they are so cute! haha. Okay, so I hope this chapter was good...and I know you'll be honest with me :) hahaa. I hope I did the Brucas talk justice...make sure to let me know. Thank you so much for always being so willing to help me! You really are the best! I look forward to seeing what you thought about this chapter! XOXOXOX!!**

**OTHbrucas4ever- haha I'm so glad you loved the last chapter! That means I'm doing my job!! I hope you liked this chapter as well! Thank you for reviewing :)**

**catcat51092- Haha. Thanks for your review!! I'm glad you are loving the story!! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**brucas333- hahaha I'm glad you liked the way Brooke went crazy in the last chapter!! haha. Your review made me laugh! Thanks for reviewing!!**

**LoVeBrucas- ok so the wisdom teeth so doesnt sound fun!! I don't wanna get mine out :( I'm really not looking forward to it! I am such a baby when it comes to pain I can't even imagine! I hope you are starting to feel better and looking less chipmunk-ish haha. HAha I'm glad that I keep surprising you, because its fun to be surprised every now and again! I just love to keep you guessing hahaa. I'm not so much of a fan of season 4 either! I like Brooke and the Naley family in season 5...but Lucas and Peyton are both just being whiney and its annoying! haha. Ohh, and the cake...my favorite is Fun-Fetti cake with Rainbow Chip frosting! Just in case you wanted to know hahaa. I am so glad you love this story! THat like makes my world!! I hope this chapter was ok...make sure and let me know :) Did I mention I ALWAYS love your reviews?? XOXOXO**

**brucas224- I hope you had a fun trip!! And I'm glad you got to catch up on everything now that you are back home!! Thank you for reviewing :) I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**erika- Haha, I agree, I realy need to find the ice cream! I seriously am dying to try it! I just need to make my way downtown to the BEn and Jerry's store! I just neeeeed to haha. Then we can totally have a whole convo about it hahaha. Ok, so I'm just gonna say that I loved your WHOLE review! Everything you said!! It like cracked me up!! I totally would comment on everything, but it'd like take up this whole page ahhaa. I seriously love your reviews though, so keep them coming!! I hope you liked this chapter :)**

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- haha Thank you for your review! I totally loved it, as usual!! I hope you liked this chapter!! yaaaaay brucas equals lovvve!! So true!!**

**Natalie (ilovemedou)- Hahah, I totally loved your review! Sorry for leavin ya hangin like that, but its okay now since I update right? :) hehe. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! And tthhhaaank you for reviewing!!**

**Sara (Brucas2006)- Even though you haven't reviewed for the last chapter yet, I'm sure you will so I'm writing you a thank you anyways! Hahaha. It's okay that you are like super busy, just catch up when you can!! Love you!! BRF!!**

Okay everyone! Thank you to all of those who reviewed! I don't think you understand exactly how much your reviews influence this story! Because they are the reason that I keep writing! So just thank you so much for taking a few minutes to review! It really is appreciated!! OH, and ps...at the moment my step-dad is like obsessed with OTH and like won't stop watching it! Sooo weird! But whatever!! Haahaha. See you soon friends!!


	23. New Friend Request

**A/N: Hello to all of my lovely readers and reviewers!! I owe you guys a new chapter, so here it is!! Guess what! We are almost to 500 reviews!! How insane is that? I am like so in shock! So I owe you guys big THANKS for getting us there!! You truly are the best. The song in this chapter is called 'A Day Late' and is by Anberlin. Enjoy!! (And don't forget to review :D)**

_

* * *

_

I must confess you're so much more then I remember

_Can't help but entertain these thoughts_

_Thoughts of us together_

**Chapter Twenty-Three- New Friend Request**

It was the next week, and was proving to be a very busy week at that. For one, Averie was a month old this week. It was hard for everyone to believe that she had already been with them for a whole month, but on the other hand it had seemed like she'd been there forever. She was getting bigger, and had gained almost 2 pounds since she was born, now weighing almost 8 pounds. Brooke couldn't believe how much her tiny baby was growing, and Lucas was ecstatic that he was getting to be a part of her life.

Jake had already gone back to Tree Hill, leaving Chae to mope around the house, which was very unusual for her. She was usually so peppy, and it was weird to see her sit around being sad. Brooke was excited though, because this meant that Chae was really liking Jake and that maybe she would be totally committed to him in no time.

Lucas had been spending a lot of time around the house now that he didn't have basketball, and it was kind of weird. It was hard for Brooke to transition into being his friend, so while he was there she tried her hardest to stay busy. She was going a little crazy being home all the time, but she really didn't want to take Averie out. They had only taken Averie for a few short walks outside just so she could get some air. Brooke was excited that Averie was now a month old, because it made her feel better about taking the baby out.

Brooke was in great spirits this week, because tomorrow Haley, Nathan and Max were arriving. She couldn't wait for them to get there. She was excited to see Max, seeing as she only saw him right after he was born. She also couldn't wait for her best friends to meet Averie.

Brooke had been cleaning the small apartment like crazy, but still felt bad that they didn't have much room. Brooke had even asked Lucas to help her, and they decided that they would just set up an air mattress in the living room. Brooke was surprised at how comfortable air mattresses had become, and it made her feel a little better about making her friends sleep in her living room. She even set up a small basinet that she had for Averie in the living room for baby Max.

"Lucas!" Brooke grinned, clapping her hands together as he walked through the door. "Did you get it?" She asked, her smile growing wider as she couldn't contain her excitement anymore.

A smile creeped onto Lucas' face as he lifted up a cardboard box. "Got it" he said with a smile. He was glad that Brooke had asked him to help her out. He felt like everyday things were getting a little less awkward between the two and that was great.

"You're the best!" Broke grinned, resting a hand on Lucas' chest and letting it slide off as she walked away. He watched as she bounced away from him, her long, chocolate locks bouncing on her back.

"That's what they say" Lucas laughed, waiting for Brooke to turn around and roll her eyes at him, which she did. Lucas placed the box he was holding in the fridge and then followed Brooke into her bedroom.

"Be quiet, she's sleeping" Brooke warned, a finger placed to her lips in emphasis as they stopped in front of her bedroom door.

"Okay" Lucas whispered, nodding his head.

Brooke continued into the bedroom and went straight for her closet. Lucas walked over to the crib, leaning over to see his daughter sleeping soundly. He smiled as he watched her tiny tummy rise and fall underneath the light blanket that was covering her.

"You are gonna love this" Brooke grinned, stepping out of her closet with a tiny hanger. She left the room, Lucas following her as they made their way into the living room. She stopped as she stood in front of the couch and pulled the plastic cover off of the tiny dress. She lifted it up, smiling as she bit her bottom lip, "What do you think?"

Lucas surveyed the dress. It was pink, silky and poofy. It had thick straps and a bow that tied in the back. The bottom of the dress was lined in tiny pink flowers and it looked like something a Disney princess would wear. "You made _that_?" Lucas asked in shock.

"Yeah" Brooke shrugged before a frown slowly formed on her face, "It's bad isn't it? I mean I made it really quick and-"

Lucas shook his head roughly, "No, no…it's actually really good. I just didn't know you could make clothes…"

Brooke pursed her lips together, nodding her head, "Well, yeah…it's sort of a passion of mine. Anyways, how adorable is Averie going to look in this?"

Lucas laughed; he loved seeing Brooke so happy. "Are you sure she needs a party dress?"

"Lucas" Brooke said, raising her eyebrows at the boy. "Of course she needs a party dress…she's going to be one month old tomorrow…this is _big_!"

"Right" Lucas said, his eyebrows scrunched as he slowly nodded his head.

Brooke laid the dress down on the coffee table and started to walk out of the room. "Do you think the cheesecake will be okay until tomorrow?" She asked from the kitchen.

"It should be fine, just keep it in the fridge" Lucas called back. He sat down on the couch, retrieving the remote to the TV and flipping through the channels.

"Did you get it from the factory?" Brooke asked, sticking her head into the living room.

"Yes" Lucas said with a laugh.

"Good, you know I only like my cheesecake from the factory" She said seriously with a nod. She went back into the kitchen and entered the living room a few minutes later with a drink in each hand. She gave one to Lucas before settling in a big chair.

"I still can't believe our daughter gets a whole cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory at a month old…I can't imagine what her actual birthday will bring" Lucas said with a laugh, receiving an icy glare from Brooke.

"I told you this was big" She said with a raised eyebrow. "Plus, you forgot, my best friends are going to be here too! I mean, it's pretty much a huge deal." Brooke said casually with a shrug.

"When do we need to pick them up?" Lucas asked, focusing his attention back onto the TV.

Brooke took a sip of her drink and then held it in her lap. "Tomorrow morning, Chae will watch Ave so just we can go. Hopefully we won't be too long…"

"We won't be, and Chae will be fine with her" Lucas said, reassuring Brooke who was obviously nervous about leaving Averie. "Plus, it would be a tight fit with four adults and two car seats in my truck." He reminded her. His truck was big, and could comfortably fit two adults and a car seat in the back seat, but he didn't like the idea of having Averie's car seat in the front.

"I know" Brooke sighed. "Thanks again for picking them up Luke" she said, smiling at him gratefully. She didn't want Nathan and Haley to have to ride a cab with baby Max, and since her and Chae didn't have cars in New York, Lucas was the only option left really. Brooke was nervous though, because she hadn't actually warned Haley that Lucas would be with her to pick them up. She knew that Haley didn't like Lucas, but she hoped that her friend wouldn't make a scene.

The front door opened and Chae walked in, tiredly throwing her purse on the ground. She walked into the living room and immediately slumped down into the couch.

Lucas looked over at her and laughed, he thought it was funny how dramatic she was being. "How was work?" he asked as she let out a long moan, flipping her hair long behind her head.

Chae let out a long, deep, loud breath. "Boring" she said with a sigh.

"What's your problem?" Brooke giggled. Chae looked up at Brooke, raising her eyebrows in an irritated expression. "Hmmm" Brooke sighed, biting her lip. She lifted a finger pointing it at Chae, "Let me guess…it has to do with something that starts with a 'J' and ends in 'ake'? Am I right?"

Chae furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Well Cheery" Lucas said with a laugh, looking over at Brooke with squinted eyes. "I think you may have been right."

"Yes, yes I think so" Brooke giggled.

"God, you two are _so_ annoying when you are friends" Chae groaned, standing from the couch and stomping off into her bedroom.

"She's in a bad mood" Lucas said, stating the obvious.

"Ya think so?" Brooke laughed. "So, how's your phone been?" Brooke asked after a few moments of silence. She was referring to the tons of people who had been calling him in hopes to get a comment on leaving the Knicks.

"Annoying" Lucas groaned. "Today, when I was picking up the cheesecake, I was even hounded by people there. I don't see why they can't just leave me alone."

"Probably because you just gave up an amazing career and these people look up to you" Brooke said with a nod.

"Thanks for making me feel better" Lucas laughed.

"That's what I'm here for" Brooke shrugged, smiling at Lucas making him laugh.

They heard Averie making noises through the baby monitor and Lucas jumped up, "I'll get her" he offered, excited to see his baby.

Brooke nodded and he left the room. She could hear him talking to Averie through the monitor and it made her smile, he really was great with their baby.

Chae walked back into the living room, sitting down on the couch. "Sorry I wasn't so nice" she said, giving Brooke a small smile. After talking to Jake on the phone, she felt a lot better.

"It's okay" Brooke shrugged, climbing off the chair to sit by Chae. "You miss him don't you?" Brooke asked, wrapping an arm around her friends shoulder.

"Yeah" Chae admitted quietly.

"Maybe you should go down there and visit him in a couple weeks" Brooke suggested.

Chae inhaled deeply and then sat up on the couch, looking over at Brooke. "I just don't know if it's worth it. I mean we are starting to like each other more and more and its all great when we are together, but when we're not its just too hard. I don't know if it's worth it to try anymore, it just hurts more than it should. I mean it's kind of unrealistic what we're doing."

Brooke felt bad for Chae. She knew where she was coming from because her and Kade had tried to make a long distance relationship work as well. She knew what it was like to miss someone so much, but not be able to do anything about it. She had felt like that the whole time her and Lucas were apart. And even though they saw each other regularly now, she still missed what they had and it made her miss him.

"I think you two have something good going, and right now it's hard…but all relationships are hard. You are gonna have times when you wanna give up, but you can't. You just need to remember how much you two care about each other, and that will get you through your time apart" Brooke told her, rubbing Chae's arm comfortingly.

Chae nodded her head, taking in what Brooke had said. She looked over at Averie's baby monitor that was sitting on a side table and could hear Lucas talking to Averie as he changed her diaper.

"Maybe you should take your own advice" Chae suggested, nodding towards the monitor that was sounding Lucas' voice.

Brooke sat still and closed her eyes, thinking that _maybe_ Chae was right.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Okay," Brooke said, her voice loud and serious. "So I pumped some milk, and it's in a bottle here, just heat it up if she gets hungry. There are extra binky's in the top drawer of her changing table. And there are extra diapers and wipes on the top shelf of my closet if you need them. I just fed her so she shouldn't be hungry. And she should be tired, so hopefully she'll just sleep the whole time we're gone. Remember she likes the pink blanket with the silky edges…"

"Brooke" Chae laughed, reaching a hand out to stop Brooke from pacing. "We'll be fine; you aren't even going to be gone for an hour!"

Brooke bit her lip and hugged Averie close to her. "I know…I'm sorry, I'm just nervous about leaving her."

"I know you are, but she'll be fine." Chae smiled, finding it funny how much Brooke was freaking out.

Brooke sat down on the couch, laying Averie sideways on her knees while she supported her head. "Maybe I should just stay and Lucas could pick them up…"

"Uh, I don't think that would be a good idea" Chae laughed, "I doubt Haley would get in the car with him, especially with you not there…"

"Your right" Brooke sighed, biting her lip nervously. "I haven't even told her that he's coming with to pick them up."

Chae laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh, this will be _good_! I wish I could be there to see her face when you introduce him to her!"

"Chae stop!" Brooke pouted, "That's so not funny!"

"Oh, but it is" Chae giggled, shaking her head back and forth just at the thought. Brooke looked up at her, growing more scared and nervous for Haley and Lucas to meet. "I'm sorry" Chae said, trying to stifle her laugh as she noticed Brooke grow nervous. "It'll be fine."

"What'll be fine?" Lucas asked, walking into the living room.

"Oh, hey _Nosey_" Chae said, rolling her eyes.

"When did you get here?" Brooke asked, standing from the couch and placing Averie in Lucas' out reached arms.

"Just now" Lucas said, lifting Averie towards him and kissing her.

"So do you just like live here now, I mean, you don't even knock anymore" Chae said, slapping Lucas on the arm as she walked past him.

Lucas laughed, ignoring Chae. "You ready to go?" He asked Brooke.

"I think so" She said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing her purse. Lucas followed her in there with Averie. "Alright baby" Brooke said, taking Averie from Lucas, "We'll be home soon, be good" she said, kissing the baby and then sadly handing her to Chae.

"If you need anything, I have my cell" Lucas informed Chae as he opened the front door for Brooke.

"We'll be fine!" Chae said confidently.

"Bye Ave, Mommy loves you" Brooke said with a wave and a pout as Lucas pushed her out the door and then closed it.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke and Lucas arrived at the airport and parked the truck so that they could go inside to meet Haley and Nathan. Brooke looked in the mirror in Lucas' truck and ran a finger through her straight hair. She pulled a tube of lip-gloss out of her purse and smeared it onto her lips. After smacking her lips together she then nodded in satisfaction.

Lucas laughed as he watched her nervously check her appearance.

"What?" Brooke asked, wondering why Lucas was watching her and laughing lightly.

"Nothing" Lucas smiled, "You're just cute…"

Brooke raised an eyebrow, and reached for the door handle. "Ready?" She asked, looking over at Lucas before she climbed out of the large truck.

Lucas got out as well, and met her on the side of the truck. As they walked through the parking garage, he couldn't help but let his mind wander back to the last time he had been with Brooke at an airport. It was the night that she got pregnant, and he couldn't have been happier with the brunette that night. It was hard to believe that so much had changed between the two since that night… He couldn't help but wish they could be together for real again.

"Lucas?" Brooke questioned, snapping Lucas from his thoughts as she stopped in the garage.

"Yeah?" Lucas asked, stopping next to her.

"You weren't listening…where were you?" She asked, starting to walk again now that she had his attention.

"Sorry" Lucas muttered, "I was just thinking."

"Oh" Brooke said with a nod as they walked closer to the doors that led into the airport. "What were you thinking about?" She asked, looking up at him.

Lucas stalled for a second, wondering if he should tell her that he was in fact thinking about her. He decided he might as well go for it, what was there to lose?

"I guess I was just thinking about _you_…about _us_" He said, locking his eyes onto hers as he stopped in front of the door, holding it open for her as she walked in.

"Oh" Brooke said with a nod, unsure of how she should react. She didn't have to think about it for long, because before either of them could say another word, they were interrupted.

"Lucas Scott!" They heard a man say as he rushed towards them. He was obviously a reporter Brooke noticed, because he happened to pull a small notebook and pen out of his pocket as soon as he noticed Lucas.

"Come on Brooke" Lucas said into her ear as he leaned down. She nodded and he quickly placed a hand on the small of her back to guide her through the crowded airport.

"Can you just answer a few questions?" The reporter asked, now walking beside the two.

Lucas began to walk faster, his hand now fully wrapped around Brooke's waist so that he could quickly guide her. "I won't be answering any questions right now" Lucas told the reporter.

But it didn't help that this brought even more attention towards him and before he knew it there were people snapping pictures.

"Is _she_ the reason that you left your wife?" The reporter asked, motioning towards Brooke with his pen.

Lucas ignored the reporter and tried his best to keep Brooke away from him. No matter how fast he walked, the reporter kept up with him. This was one thing he hated about the JFK Airport. It was always so busy, and no matter what time of day it was, there were always reporters and photographers seeking out celebrities in hopes of a juicy story.

"Luke" Brooke said nervously, looking up at him not sure what to do in the situation.

"It's okay," he said, leaning down into her ear again, "Just stay close and don't say anything to them."

"Miss, did you have something to do with the separation of Mr. Scott and his former wife?" the dark-haired reporter asked as he moved from Lucas' side to Brooke's. "What is your relationship with Lucas Scott?"

Brooke buried her head into Lucas' side and just kept walking. She had no idea that there would be media here hounding Lucas, she hadn't really realized what a big deal it was until now. She couldn't believe that she was being thrown into it as well. It freaked her out to see how these people prodded and poked into Lucas' life.

"Don't bring her into this" Lucas warned, trying to defend Brooke from the reporter. She didn't deserve this. They could bug him as much as they wanted to, but they didn't need to do the same to her.

"Sorry," the reporter said smugly, "I didn't know we'd hit a sore spot there…"

Lucas glared at the reporter and he finally backed off, realizing he wasn't going to get any answers to his questions.

Brooke and Lucas reached security and were now standing against a wall waiting for Nathan and Haley. The reporter had seemed to disappear and they hadn't seen any others. But people were still taking pictures of them, and it was obvious.

"Sorry about that Brooke" Lucas said, bringing a hand to her arm as they stood facing each other, each of them having a shoulder leaned against the wall for support.

"It's not your fault Luke" Brooke shrugged, feeling bad that he had to deal with this. "I guess I just wasn't expecting it…"

Lucas sighed, "I should've known that they would be here, I guess I just have a hard time believing that my life is _that_ interesting to people."

Brooke laughed, tipping her head back. "If only they saw you with spit up all over your shirt while you change a stinky diaper."

Lucas laughed at her comment, knowing it was entirely true. He stopped laughing when he noticed Brooke's face light up at something she could see behind his back.

"Oh my god Haley!" Brooke squealed, pushing past Lucas and running to her friend.

Lucas turned around and watched as Brooke embraced Haley. Haley was a little bit shorter than Brooke and had long, wavy strawberry blonde hair. She was pushing a baby stroller, and inside Lucas could see a sleeping baby that was bigger than his daughter. _That must be Max_, he thought. He then watched as Brooke released Haley, and turned to a taller guy with dark brown hair. The guy was smiling at Brooke and he held her tight as she hugged him. Lucas knew that this had to have been Nathan. Brooke then leaned her head into the stroller, and when she stood back up she said something to Nathan and Haley before walking back towards him.

Brooke now had her arm linked through Haley's as she pulled her friend towards Lucas, leaving Nathan to push the baby's stroller.

"Hey, I want you to meet someone" Brooke grinned, as her and Haley stopped in front of Lucas. She was nervous to introduce the two, and Haley obviously hadn't realized who the blonde guy was yet. Nathan stood beside the girls, slowly rocking the stroller back and forth. "These are my friends, Haley, Nathan and Max in the stroller" Brooke said happily, pointing to each of her friends as she told Lucas who they were.

"I've heard a lot about you guys" Lucas smiled, shaking hands with Nathan and then Haley.

"And this is" Brooke started, pausing to squeeze Haley's arm. "This is Lucas…"

"Oh, hey" Nathan said casually, obviously not fazed by the introduction.

"Hi" Haley said in a fake tone to Lucas before grabbing Brooke's arm. "Brooke" Haley growled through gritted teeth, turning towards her friend, "I need to talk to you over there" She said, nodding towards the girls' restroom.

"We'll be right back" Brooke told Lucas, smiling sweetly at his confused look. Nathan just shrugged and the two guys watched as Haley pulled Brooke away.

"What are you thinking!" Haley yelled after she had securely shut the bathroom door closed behind them.

"Uhm" Brooke shrugged, a nervous smile on her lips.

A lady that was washing her hands in the bathroom sent the two girls an icy look before leaving the room.

"Why did you bring him? I understand that you are letting him be in _Averie's_ life…But why would you bring him _here_?" Haley asked, her voice loud and angry as she paced back and forth in front of her friend. "I mean, you know how I feel about him for what he did to you…and speaking of, don't _you remember_ how freaking torn up you were! God Brooke, I watched you cry and cry because of what _he_ did!"

"I know, Haley, just-"

"Well, _I remember_ how you felt," Haley shrieked, cutting Brooke off. "I remember feeling like I could do nothing to help you…and you are just letting him back in! God Brooke, I don't want to be picking up the pieces _again_ when he _leaves_!"

"Haley" Brooke said, her voice low. "Don't say that" Brooke frowned, shaking her head, obviously upset with what Haley had said. Lucas wasn't gonna leave again. She knew he wouldn't. He couldn't leave, not now.

Haley brought a hand up to her head, realizing that maybe she had freaked out a little too much. "Brooke, I'm sorry" Haley said, reaching a hand to Brooke's arm. "I shouldn't have said that…"

"Whatever" Brooke said, shaking the thoughts from her head and choosing to let Haley's words go. She didn't want to fight with Haley about this, not now. "Its fine, lets just have a good weekend, and try to be nice. Please."

Haley nodded slowly, "I'll try, but I'm not making any promises."

Brooke nodded at her sadly and slowly walked out of the bathroom with Haley following closely. She understood that Haley didn't like Lucas, and that was fine. But really, he was doing her a favor by giving them a ride so they didn't have to ride in a cab. And she wasn't letting him in to her heart, they were just friends, was that wrong?

"Hey, you okay?" Lucas asked as Brooke and Haley rejoined them. He could tell that Brooke's mood had changed. It helped that he could read her fairly easily, and one look into her hazel eyes told him that she was upset.

Brooke nodded, plastering a small smile to her face. "Yeah, we're fine" she said, her voice growing cheery. She wished she could just fall into Lucas' arms and let him hold her. Lucas had been such a good friend to her lately, and he really was showing that he cared. He was so gentle with her, and he really did look out for her.

Lucas nodded, still not believing her. He rubbed her arm softly and then dropped his hand back to his side. "You sure?" he asked softly, this time leaning in towards her.

She nodded and he pulled his head away figuring that she wasn't up for talking about whatever was upsetting her.

Brooke let out the breath she had been holding since Lucas' breath was hot on her ear moments ago. He was worried about her, and she could tell just by looking at him. But she would be fine; she was just a little upset at how Haley reacted to Lucas being there. Brooke knew she should've expected it, but Haley still didn't need to be so harsh. But what if Haley was right, what if Lucas did leave again?

"Let's get our suitcases and get out of here" Nathan said happily, trying to break the tenseness that was surrounding them. He had his arm wrapped around Haley's shoulder and his other free hand pushing the stroller.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see Averie" Haley said softly, giving Brooke a small smile.

_We are who we were when_

_Could've been lovers but at least you're still my day late friend_

* * *

**A/N: Sooo...what did you think?? I hope you liked it :) Uhhmm just let me know in a review!! I hope I did the whole Haley/Lucas meeting justice cause I know a lot of you have been waiting for it! Anyways, do what you do best and tell me what you think in a review! I love you all!!**

**...Thank You's...**

**onetreefan- Way to go being the numero uno reviewer! Thats pretty awesome. Yeeaah Averie was about 4 1/2 in the first chapter, so Brucas has a long bumpy road, but it'll be worth it :) I'm glad that you like my story. Thank you so much for reviewing!!**

**dolcegrazia- I'm glad you are loving all the brucas moments and brucas moments with Averie! They are probably the funnest parts to write...I just love Brooke and Lucas bonding with their baby! I hope you liked this last chapter! Thank you for always reviewing! You are the best!**

**BrOoKe DaViS23- I'm glad you love the storie, and I never get sick of it hearing it! Haha. Yeah, I think it's kind of annoying that my stepdad thinks he needs to watch it, and now my mom is watching it...she's like halfway through season 2..WTF! Its weird! I wanna know Brucas spoilers!! You should email them to me or PM me! My email adress is on my profile! Thanks for reviewing!!**

**Brucas True Love- I'm glaad you loved it! And you are right, friends are a good start...I agree! I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for revieiwng!!**

**othfan326- For starters can I just say that I loved your review!! I am glad you like how everything is playing out and that you love all of the differend relationships in the story!! I am going to bring Rachel and Mouth in...probably in the next chapter or the one after that! So look out for it! I am excited to see what you think about this chapter, because you said you were looking forward to Haley/Lucas meeting! Anyways, thanks for the amazing review! I love hearing from you!**

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- haha Brucas being just friends is kind of a joke...like they can't stay off of each other lol. So we'll see how long just friends lasts. But it was the right step to take considering everything Brooke is going through! Anyways, thanks for the review, and I hope you liked this chapter :)**

**lilohb- Thank you for always reviewing! You know I love it! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**bella- I love hearing what you think about the chapters, so thank you for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**Cass (CheerandBrood323- haha I totally love your reviews. We always have sunkist at our OTH parties too!! Oooh and butter pecan ice cream mmmm. HAha, I'm not a big Peyton fan either, and I was TOTALLY laughing at your review when you mentioned her. I think our hatred of Peyton is what makes me like you so much hahaa. When I was watching season 1 with my friend the other day she was like 'whats wrong with that girl! She never talks and when she does she's so mean...and just look at her FACE!' hahah. it was like the funniest thing ever. I love in the opening credits of season one when it shows peyton, and she like looks up into the camera, and its seriously the best face ever hahaha. Anyways, now I'm just rambling! Thanks for ALWAYS reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter :)**

**Brucas3Naley23- Aww I loved your review! I'm so happy that you love where I'm taking the story! That totally like encourages me to keep writing, so thank you :)**

**brucas3- I'm really glad that you liked the last chapter, and that you understand why Brooke is taking things slow with Lucas. I love hearing what you think, so thank you for your review!**

**Jen (courtneylovesjason)- Hey Spazzy! Haha, I love your reviews! You sound like such a spaz in them, its the best! You go from calm to like freaking out! It cracks me up! Dude, Lucas is her lobster :) aaawwww. Braverie...Lucas loves braverie! It sounds like bravery so its funny. Hahaha. PS I loved the end of your last review, I was like LOL-ing for REALS! Hahahaha. I loved all your 'In my head I'm friends with (fill in the blank)' omg you are too funny! I seriously love it! hahaha. So I hope this chapter didn't disapoint...but I'm sure you'll let me know either way lol. Talk to you soon. XOXOX**

**LoVeBrucas- Okay so I always love your reviews. It was funny because the review I got before yours was like freaking out that they were only friends, and then I opened your review and you were so excited that they were friends haha. I'm glad you were excited though, because its a big step for them, and I was hoping people would be excited lol. I've never had chocolate cake with funfetti frosting...i've never even thought about it! You know whats good though...get the funfetti cake mix, and on the side of the box there is a recipe for funfetti cookies...they are sooo easy and good! I'm like obsessed with them! You should try them :) Anyways, I loved your review. I think I already said that, but that only means I really loved it. haha. Speaking of Jell-o I really want some now!! Love you!!**

**reina123- I can't believe _my_ story is one of your _favorites_...Thats really exciting and just hard to believe...but exciting. Thank you! I'm so glad that you like it, and I love getting your reviews, so keep them coming :) I hope you liked this chapter :)**

**onetreehillgirl066- Haha, its okay that you didn't get first reviewer for the last chapter...you are right, maybe you'll get it this time! I always update at the most random times, so that makes it tough ahhaa. I'm glad that you are still enjoying the story! And thank you for your reviews!!**

**Jem (flipflopgal)- Haha I loved your review! I'm sure Brucas would be a little more than friendly after a few drinks ahha i love that. I may just have to try it out...Chake or Cake...everyone seems to like Chake for them...but its weird cuz you'd say it like Shake. haha. But I love Shakkes and Cake...so either is good with me ahahhaa. I'm glad you love the story! I hope you liked this chapter, and thanks for always reviewing!**

**brucas333- Are you trying to hint a Brucas kiss at me lol cuz I am very easily pressured into doing things...well not really, but when it comes to Brucas...okay, so anyways! Thanks for reviewing! Your review totally made me laugh! I hope you liked this chapter...and I see a Brucas kiss in the future too...**

**KAte- Thank you for reviewing! I love having new reviewers! I am glad you found the story and are all caught up, and especially happy that you like it! Thats awesome! I hope I didn't disapoint with this chapter :) and I would love to hear from you again! Thank you for reviewing :)**

**IamCaroline- I am glad you liked the last chapter, and you are right Jake is like a big brother to Brooke! I just love him :) I'm like smitten with him to be honest. haha. I love Brachel friendship too, I'm going to be bringing Mouth and Rachel in the story in the next chapter, or the one after that so it'll be interesting! And yes, I do have Lucas planning to tell his parents...so that'll be coming up soon too! Anyways, thank you for always reviewing! You know I love them and they are greatly appreciated!!**

**XPeytonXPunknDisorderly- haha I agree...Brucas should totally be together on the show. Its just obvious that they were meant to be together. I mean people who are meant to be together always find their way in the end! Haha. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, I hope you liked this one as well! Can't wait to hear what you thought about it!**

**BrucasNaleyluvr- Hey buddy! I hope you liked this chapter. I know you aren't feeling good today...so I hope this makes you feel a tiny bit better! I'll talk to you soon bumble bee! LoveLoveLove!!**

**MarianaTeresia- Hey! I'm excited that you reviewed!! Its always exciting to get new reviewers! I am so happy that you love this story, and I hope you liked this chapter!! Thanks for reviewing!!**

**brucas224- I am so glad you are loving this story! I'm glad you are loving all of the different characters in this chapter!! Thank you for reading and reviewing!! It really makes my day!**

**Katherine- Oh, do I every love your reviews haha. My mom has been watching OTH too...and they both feel bad for Peyton for some reason(??) yeah, we don't get it. It's probably cuz all me and my sister do is bad mouth Peyton so they feel bad. Its really dumb haha. I'm so glad that you thought that I did the Brucas talk justice, cuz I worried about it! So it was good to hear from you that it was ok...I do value your opinnion a lot hahaha. Okay, so I was so confused when I was reading your review and it just like cut off...so thanks for finishing it haha. Lucas is totally the guy for Brooke...and now she just needs to realize it! I am going to bring Rachel and Mouth into the one of the coming up chapters, but I'm not sure how long they'll stay. But I love Rachel, and Lucas needs friends haha he seems like such a loner so I had to change that! Haha. Okay so before this thank you turns into a chapter I'll stop rambling. I hope you liked this chapter, make sure and let me know what you thought! Okay, so I am watching the Ellen show, and it is so freaking funny. Okay, got off track...Review...cause I love hearing from you :)**

**Sara (Brucas2006)- Heeeey its my BRF!! How are you busy girl! Good I hope! I was so excited to get both of your reviews. Probably cuz I love them and you just like crack me up! haha I love your rambling. Its probably my favorite. So I'm glad that you love JAke in this story. I love Jake in your story too...but he just needs to uuhhm break up with Brooke or something ahha. So your reviews always crack me up. And seriously, Mouth is like the weirdest name ever. He should be called Lips...not Mouth..cuz his lips are huger than his mouth is haha. Aww, we all need the Brucas back that we know and love...you are soo right! So pretty much you need to update your story now...and that'd be cool! haha. Thanks for always reviewing, even when you are super busy!! I can't wait to hear from you again! I love you!! BRF!!**

**erika- soooo glad that you loved the last chapter! I hope you liked this one as well! So I seriously loved your review. I was like laughing my head off while reading it! And I just laughed again reading it for the second time ahhaa. hahaha yeeaaaaah so we all know that Brucas being friends is like a joke...it just is funny and ends as quickly as it starts lol the friends part I mean. So maybe that didn't make sense, but it so did in my head haha. Oh, and I still havent tried the ice cream :( I haven't been downtown lately...but its only like a ten minute drive...I just need to go cuz I want it sooooo bad...Anyways...thanks for reviewing! I loooove your reviews :)**

**brucas2008- I sooo agree with you...who needs Peyton when you have Chae...but really, who needs Peyton at all?? hahaa. love it. I'm glad you are almost done with These Days...tell me what you thought when you are finished :) haha I love that it keeps you up all night, thats awesome!! Your boss at work so wouldn't be my biggest fan..but whatever...works overrated anyways! haha. So I always love reading your reviews! So make sure and tell me what you thought about this chapter! Talk to you soon buddy!!**

**Christie (sweetchristie03)- Thank you so much for your review! I am glad that you still love where this story is going...that means I'm doing my job :) And you are right...friendship is a start :) Anyways, thank you for reviewing...I love hearing from you! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**chebelle- loved your review as usual!! I'm so glad that you loved the whole chapter...and you are definitely gaining some insight on whats gonna happen in the future by reading that first chapter carefully...I'm pretty sure that made no sense what-so-ever, haha, but thats okay! Friendship is a start, and i'm glad you were happy with that step in their relationship! I hope you liked this chapter, and I hope to hear from you again soon! :)**

**Natalie (iluvmedou)- Your name on here reminds me of the Beatles lol...is that where it came from, everytime I read it, I start singing the song in my head. Sorry that was like so random haha. Anyways, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Aww that it made your heart melt :) Thats cute! haha. I hope you liked this chapter as well! Tell me what you think :)**

Alright, thanks once again to everyone who reviewed! You guys are the bestest! I appreciate ya'll taking the time to review! Well, I'm gonna go finish watching Supercross (Go SOphia!!)...I'll see you again soon :) Love you all, Lindsay!

* * *


	24. Too Much

**A/N: Hi friends! Okay so here is the newest chapter! And yaaaay...we hit 500 reviews! Thats so awesome :) big thanks to all of you! And to thank you, this chapter is like almost 4 pages longer than my normal chapters, so enjoy!! The song in this chapter is 'Superstar' by Lupe Fiasco! Enjoy!!**_

* * *

_

_If you are what you say you are_

_A superstar_

_Then have no fear_

_The camera's here and the microphones and they wanna know_

_Oh, oh, oh_

**Chapter Twenty-Four- Too Much**

Lucas and Nathan talked about basketball on the ride home from the airport, and they seemed to be getting along pretty well. Nathan told Lucas all about the High School team he was coaching, and how well they had done this year. Haley and Brooke sat in the back of the truck and mainly talked about their babies. Haley told Brooke that she was never taking Max on a plane again, because he cried a lot and everyone looked like they wanted to kill her. Brooke made sure not to mention the plane Haley would be taking home in two days…

They finally arrived at Brooke and Chae's apartment and they were all excited to get out of the truck. Brooke couldn't get to her apartment fast enough, and didn't wait around for anyone before she ran up to see her baby. Haley carried Max up to the apartment in his car seat, and Nathan and Lucas carried all of their luggage.

After Brooke finally unlocked the door and opened it, she couldn't help but run into the living room to find Chae and Averie.

"Ava-baby" she called, smiling as she saw Chae stand from the couch holding Averie who was wide awake and sucking on a binky. Brooke rushed towards them and happily took Averie from Chae. "I missed you" Brooke said to the baby as she hugged her, rocking side to side. "How was she?"

"She was fine" Chae laughed, rolling her eyes at Brooke who couldn't stop kissing the baby.

"Way to leave us" Haley laughed, walking into the living room and setting Max's car seat on the ground.

"I had to see my baby" Brooke said with a pout, as she held Averie close to her.

"Hey Haley!" Chae smiled, walking towards her and giving her a hug. When they pulled away, Chae leaned down to see baby Max who was lying awake in his car seat. "He is so big! Can I hold him?" Chae asked, excited to see the baby for the first time.

"Go for it" Haley laughed, watching as Chae lifted Max from the car seat and cuddled him. She walked towards Brooke who was still hugging Averie against her. "Let me see her!" Haley said excitedly, reaching her hands out for the baby. Brooke reluctantly handed her over. "Brooke she looks just like you!" Haley grinned, rocking Averie side to side. "Don't show Max her hair, he'll be jealous" Haley said, causing Brooke and Chae to laugh.

"Yeah, she does have a lot of it" Brooke laughed, walking to where Chae was holding Max. "Okay, so this kid is getting so big!" Brooke said, squeezing his chubby cheeks causing the baby to smile.

"Just bring them in here" Lucas directed, holding two suitcases while being followed by Nathan.

Nathan nodded, setting down the suitcases in the living room. "So where is this little girl we've been hearing all about?" Nathan asked, placing an arm around Brooke's shoulder and pulling her towards him.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Alright, who wants cheesecake?" Brooke asked, holding Max on her hip as she walked into the living room where Nathan, Haley and Chae were sitting. They all started to speak at once and Brooke held up her free hand to silence them. "Alright, calm down…_Lucas_ is getting it" Brooke said with a laugh, flipping her hair and turning back towards the kitchen.

"Since when did _he_ become _your_ personal slave?" Chae asked, winking at Haley who didn't think it was funny at all.

"So no cheesecake for Chae then?" Brooke said, popping her head around the corner. Chae stuck her tongue out, and Brooke raised her eyebrows with a smirk before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Nathan was sitting on the couch holding Averie, who was wearing the poofy pink dress Brooke had made. "She seems a lot smaller than Max" Nathan observed.

Haley rolled her eyes, "Yeah, well, she is" She said, shaking her head as she turned to face Chae who was sitting on a chair next to the couch. "So what exactly is up with those two?" Haley asked, motioning towards the kitchen where Brooke's giggles were heard.

Chae laughed, tipping her head back. "You wanna know what I think?" Chae asked, resting her elbows on her knees as she leaned towards Haley. Haley nodded, and Chae continued. "I think Brooke still has feelings for him, and I'm positive those feelings are _more_ than friendly…and it's obvious Lucas is still in love with her…and since he pretty much admitted it-"

"Lucas told her he loves her?" Haley asked, keeping her voice low and trying to hide the shock. She had noticed Lucas sending Brooke glances all afternoon, but she didn't think he _loved_ her.

Chae pursed her lips together, nodding seriously. "Yeah, I can't believe she didn't tell you."

"You guys need to just let them be" Nathan said, butting into the conversation. He leaned back into the couch, playing with Averie's tiny fingers.

"I wish she wouldn't put so much trust in him after what he did" Haley groaned, ignoring Nathans comment.

Chae shrugged, a small smile appearing on her lips. "Yeah, he screwed up. But everyone makes mistakes, and Lucas has paid for it, and now he's is making up for it." Haley raised her eyebrows at Chae, not totally convinced. "He really is, he's over here all the time and you can tell he loves them…"

"I just don't want her to get hurt-"

"Don't want who to get hurt?" Brooke asked, walking into the living room holding Max and a stack of paper plates.

"Averie" Haley said quickly. She definitely didn't want Brooke to know about her and Chae's conversation, because she knew her brunette friend would not like her butting into her life, especially her _love_ life...or lack there of.

"Why?" Brooke asked, scrunching up her face and looking over at Averie who was sitting in Nathan's laps with her tiny fingers curled around one of his large ones.

"Because" Haley started, biting on her lip nervously. She looked over at Chae who was just smiling on the chair, obviously enjoying this. She then looked at Nathan who was staring down at Averie, trying to stay out of the conversation. And then, to make everything even _more_ annoying, _Lucas_ entered the room, carrying the cheesecake, a knife and forks. Haley looked up at Brooke who was obviously waiting for an answer. "Because Nathan wanted to cut her finger nails…and I just didn't think it'd be a good idea…ya know…in case he clipped her finger."

"Oh" Brooke said, obviously still confused. She looked over at Lucas and shrugged. Haley had been acting really strange ever since they had gotten there and she was determined to get down to the bottom of it. "Well, I don't think we need to worry about that…because my baby is _one month old_ today!" Brooke said, a grin growing on her face. She kneeled down on the ground, placing Max on her lap. Lucas came and sat by her, putting the cheesecake on the coffee table.

"Do you wanna trade?" Chae asked, holding a camera out to Brooke. Brooke nodded and handed Max to Chae and then took the camera.

"Will you get a picture of us with Averie?" Brooke asked Nathan, smiling sweetly at her friend.

"Sure, as long as we get cheesecake after the picture is over" Nathan laughed, standing up and handing Averie to Brooke.

"Always thinking about food" Haley laughed, shaking her head.

Lucas wrapped an arm around Brooke, pulling her towards him while she cradled Averie in her arms, making sure that Averie's dress was in perfect view. Lucas and Brooke both smiled proudly, Brooke looking down at Averie at the last second when the picture was snapped. Chae bounced Max on her knee, and looked over at Haley who was rolling her eyes. Haley obviously was not enjoying the 'Brucas moment' as Chae liked to refer to times like these.

"I think I blinked" Brooke whined, "Take another one…_please_ Nate!"

Lucas leaned down towards Brooke, and whispered something in her ear, making her laugh right when the next picture was taken.

"Okay, neither of you were looking that time" Nathan said, lowering the camera. "Apparently Averie is the only one that can take a decent picture…"

"Well, if Lucas and Brooke would stop with the pseudo-innocent four play…maybe you _could_ get a decent picture of them!" Chae said with a laugh.

"Chae!" Brooke shrieked, stomping a foot and trying not to blush.

"What? It's true Brooke" Nathan said with a laugh. He looked over at Haley because he could feel her sending him a not so nice look. He didn't understand why she disliked the guy so much…from what he could see; Lucas was a nice guy that made a bad choice in a bad situation.

Brooke poked out her lip, looking up at Lucas for support. He just laughed and shrugged, knowing that her friends were right.

"Okay, can we just take the picture and get it over with!" Haley groaned, throwing a hand up into the air.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"How crazy is it that we both have babies" Brooke smiled, looking up from Averie and over at Haley who was sitting next to her on her bed holding Max.

"It's weird" Haley laughed nodding her head in agreement.

It was late and everyone was pretty tired from their long day. Chae had gone to bed hours ago, and Lucas had gone home. After Nate fell asleep, Haley snuck into Brooke's room with Max. Brooke was feeding Averie so Haley climbed into bed with her. After both babies were finally asleep, the girls still continued to talk.

Brooke nodded; "Yeah…" she started, looking at Averie who was asleep in her arms. She ran a finger over the baby's tiny socked foot. "I mean, it was expected for you and Nate though. Me…not so much."

Haley sat there quietly, rubbing Max's back as he lay on her shoulder asleep. "But you're happy right?" She asked quietly, looking over at Brooke.

"Yeah" Brooke said, smiling proudly as she looked over at her friend. "I couldn't _be_ happier." Brooke smiled, looking down at Averie, watching as her binky moved in her mouth while she slept. "She means the world to me."

Haley reached a hand over to Brooke, squeezing her arm. "You're great with her, you know that right?"

Brooke shrugged, a small smile on her lips. "That coming from Super-Mom" Brooke said with a laugh.

"You really are though," Haley told her, meaning it.

Brooke was probably the last person anyone would expect to have a baby, and Haley knew that Brooke had reservations about it. Her parents weren't exactly the best examples, and the last thing Brooke wanted was to end up like her mother. Haley couldn't be happier with the person Brooke had grown to be. She was so strong, brave and loving and Haley had always looked up to her.

After a few minutes of silence, Haley spoke up again. "What's going on with you and Lucas?"

Brooke shook her head lightly, "Nothing."

Haley tilted her head, raising her eyebrows at the brunette. "Come on Brooke, even though I don't like the guy you can still talk to me about him. You didn't even tell me you guys had talked and decided to be friends."

Brooke bit on her lip, looking down at her perfect baby. "I know how you feel about him, so I guess it's just weird to talk to you about him…"

"I just don't want him to hurt you again" Haley said matter of factly.

"He's _trying_ Hale's…and what do you want me to do? He's Averie's dad, and I am not going to keep him from her. She deserves to know her dad, and he deserves to be in her life" Brooke said, not feeling bad at all. Haley was really starting to get annoying, and Brooke just really wished she would understand. They had been best friends for as long as Brooke could remember, and she hated feeling so disconnected from Haley.

"Yeah, and I get that Brooke" Haley said, rolling her eyes. "But it kinda seems like _you_ are getting close to him too. This isn't _just_ about Averie…it's about you and Lucas too."

"Thanks _mom_" Brooke scoffed, shaking her head. "But I think _you_ only need to worry about _your_ own _perfect_ _life_."

"Brooke, don't say that" Haley sighed, shaking her head. "I'm just looking out for you."

Brooke nodded, narrowing her eyes at Haley. "If by looking out for me you want me to be unhappy, then yeah…_that's_ what you are doing."

"No, Brooke-"

"I'm really tired Hale's, I think I'm just gonna go to sleep," Brooke said quietly, biting on her lip as she wrapped the pink blanket tighter around Averie. She was sick of arguing with Haley, especially since it wasn't going anywhere.

Haley nodded and climbed out of Brooke's bed. She walked towards the door, Max still asleep on her shoulder. She turned to look at Brooke, who was now lying down in the bed with Averie right next to her. Haley then walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke was up a lot the night before with Averie, so when Lucas came over the next morning before he went to the gym, she gladly handed the baby over to him. He wasn't planning on stopping by, but he was glad that he did so that he could help Brooke out.

When he got there, Chae had let him in and then left to run some errands shortly after he had arrived. Haley and Nathan were both gone with Max visiting one of Haley's sisters that had recently moved to New York. Lucas was actually relieved that Haley wasn't there. He could tell she didn't like him, and he kind of expected it after what had gone on between him and Brooke. But it still made things very uncomfortable and awkward. He just hoped that Haley would get used to the idea of him being around, because he wasn't going anywhere.

"Alright baby, let's go get you all dry and warm" Lucas said to Averie as he lifted her from the small tub and wrapped a towel around her tiny body. He carried her into the living room, and laid her on a blanket. "You love your baths don't you" he cooed. He put a diaper on her and then reached for the baby lotion. "Mommy is gonna be so happy to see her clean baby" Lucas smiled, as he finished putting lotion on her.

"What are you two doing?" Brooke asked, rubbing her eyes as she walked into the living room.

"Well, Ave just had a bath, and I think she's ready to eat" Lucas said as he snapped the pink flowered onsie.

"Thanks for taking her this morning Luke" Brooke smiled, taking Averie from Lucas so she could feed her.

Lucas handed Brooke Averie's pink blanket from the couch. "It's no problem, I'm just glad I was here."

"Speaking of _here_" Brooke said, narrowing her eyes, "Where is everyone?" She then covered Averie and herself with the blanket so she could feed the hungry baby.

"Chae ran off about the time I got here, and she said Nathan and Haley went to visit her sister" Lucas told her. Brooke nodded and Lucas walked into the kitchen, returning moments later with a glass for Brooke.

"What is this?" Brooke asked, taking the tall glass from Lucas that was filled with a pink drink.

"I made you a fruit breakfast smoothie" Lucas said, sitting down in the chair next to the couch.

"Well aren't you domestic" Brooke smiled, kinking an eyebrow. She took a drink of the smoothie and smiled. "This is really good…"

"You've got a little" Lucas said, leaning towards her and lifting a finger to her lips. He gently wiped the pink liquid from her mouth, "right there."

Brooke smiled, biting on her lip, "Thanks." She said shyly, looking up to see Lucas staring at her intently. It was making her nervous, so she looked away and decided to change the subject. "Do you know when they're coming back?"

"Chae didn't say…"

"Oh" Brooke said with a frown, taking another drink.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Lucas asked, noticing the sad look on her face.

Brooke shook her head lightly, "Me and Haley just weren't really getting along last night."

"Are you two okay?" Lucas asked, reaching a hand out and placing it on Brooke's pajama clad knee.

Brooke shrugged, "We will be…as soon as she backs out of my life" she said the last part quietly, raising an eyebrow.

"If you need to talk about it I'm here" Lucas told her, rubbing his thumb on her knee.

"I know" Brooke said, smiling softly up at him. "You've been really great for the past month…" She looked down, biting on her lip. "I don't know what I'd do without you." She quietly admitted.

Lucas smiled, and scooted off of the chair to take a seat next to Brooke. He moved a piece of hair out of her eyes, gently placing it behind her ear. She looked up, her eyes meeting his. He smiled at her, his fingers still lightly touching her hair. "I don't know what I'd do without you either…Pretty Girl."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas had left to go to the gym, and Brooke decided to get ready for the day. She got dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and quickly straightened her hair. She dressed Averie in comfy clothes as well and the two sat on the couch watching TV until Nathan and Haley came back.

Brooke and Haley both sat on opposite ends of the couch quietly watching TV. Nathan was lying on the floor, with both of the babies' on a blanket. The awkward silence was killing him, and he had to do something to change it.

"You two really need to talk" Nathan said finally, sitting up so he could see both Brooke and Haley. "We leave tomorrow, and I'm _not_ going to go home and listen to you whine because you and Brooke didn't have your fun." Nathan told Haley seriously.

Brooke furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms in front of her chest. It wasn't her fault that Haley had gone all crazy-Peyton on her, and she was _not_ going to apologize.

Haley looked over at Brooke and exhaled deeply. "I think he's right Brooke."

Brooke pursed her lips together, obviously annoyed. "I'm sorry, but I'm sick of hearing you bash me because of who I let into my life!"

"I'm not 'bashing' you Brooke" Haley said angrily. "I just don't understand."

Nathan stood from the floor and picked up Averie, putting her in the swing. "I'll leave you two at it" he said, raising his eyebrows at the two girls. He then picked up Max and left the apartment.

"You aren't _trying_ to understand Haley" Brooke groaned, hitting her hands against her knees. "You are jumping to conclusions and not thinking about how _I_ feel. You are my _best_ friend, and you are _supposed_ to be there for me no matter what. And right now…you _aren't_."

"I'm sorry Brooke" Haley said, not sounding like she meant it. "But I don't like him, okay? I don't like _what_ he did, and I don't _trust_ him."

Brooke laughed, not believing what she was hearing. "You don't even _know_ him. Seriously Haley, for being such a smart girl, you are acting really dumb."

Haley stood from the couch, running a hand through her hair. "I'm just looking out for you Brooke!"

Brooke shook her head slowly, "No, you aren't. That's the problem." Brooke took a deep breath, and clapped her hands together in front of her. "You aren't looking out for me…if you were, you would realize that I'm _happy_ right now. Lucas is a great person, and we are only _friends_. I mean it's only right that I be friends with the father of my child, right?"

Haley sighed, sitting back down on the couch. "But I don't think you are _only_ friends. And I just don't want you to get hurt" Haley said sadly.

"I know you don't Hale's" Brooke said softly, reaching for her friends hand. "But you just gotta trust me, let me make my own choices, and let me be happy." Brooke smiled at her friend. "And maybe, just give Lucas a chance…"

Haley nodded, knowing that Brooke was right. "Nathan said I should give him a chance too."

Brooke laughed, "Well, if you aren't going to listen to me, then listen to your husband."

Haley smiled lightly, "I'm sorry Brooke. I overreacted…I just worry about you."

Brooke nodded, and wrapped her arms around Haley, pulling her into a hug. "I know you do, and I love you for it. But Lucas is a good guy that made a bad choice…and the situation he was in, it's hard to be mad at him for the choice he made. But he's here _now_, he's trying his hardest and he gave up everything for me and Ave."

"What do you mean?" Haley asked, pulling away, confused as she looked up at Brooke.

"_Basketball_…" Brooke said, watching as Haley's mouth formed into a perfect 'O'. "He gave it up…for _us_."

Haley was shocked. Yeah, Jake had told them that Lucas gave up basketball for Brooke and Averie, but she didn't believe him. Everyone seemed to love Lucas, even Nathan liked the guy. Since everyone else was swooning over him, Haley knew she had to keep an eye open and watch out for Brooke. But she realized that maybe she had taken it too far and that it was time to back off. No matter how hard it was.

"Okay" Haley sighed after a few minutes. "I guess it couldn't hurt to give him a chance."

Brooke grinned, "Thanks Haley…really."

This time it was Haley who pulled Brooke into a hug. Both girls were relieved that they had gotten over their little argument. They both knew that life was much easier when they were on good terms.

"Just _friends_ though?" Haley asked, scrunching up her face as she pulled away from the hug.

Brooke laughed, shaking her head. "Yes Haley…just friends!" Brooke didn't get why it was so hard for everyone to believe that her and Lucas were just friends. To her, it made perfect sense.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke and Haley were back to their normal selves in no time, and Nathan for one couldn't be happier. He came back to the apartment to find the two laughing and giggling and he was glad.

"Come on Natey" Brooke pouted, her bottom lip poking out.

"Yeah _please_ baby" Haley whined.

Nathan shook his head, "No, I don't want to go across town to get your favorite ice cream! I'm _not_ doing it, so just stop that-" Nathan said, waving his finger around in front of their faces, "Stop that lip thing!"

"You are no fun" Brooke groaned, folding her arms in front of her.

"Sorry, but I'm not going" Nathan said with a laugh.

Brooke and Haley both scowled at him, turning towards each other so they didn't have to face him. As they were pouting Nathan decided to take control of the television and immediately began flipping through channels. The apartment wasn't quiet for long when Chae came bursting in.

"Have you seen this!" She shrieked, holding up a magazine.

"Hello to you too" Haley laughed, causing Brooke to giggle too.

"Whatever" Chae sighed, shaking her head. "Hello, hello, hello" she said, turning to Haley, Brooke and Nathan as she spoke. "But Brooke, _have you seen this_!" She said, her voice growing louder again.

"Seen what?" Brooke asked, her face scrunched up in confusion.

"This!" Chae groaned, waving the magazine around in the air. Brooke kept staring at Chae with a blank look on her face. Chae groaned, shaking her head as she walked to the couch and sat down next to Brooke. "Page 74" she said as she handed Brooke the magazine.

Brooke laughed, and turned to the page. As her eyes scanned the page, her mouth dropped open. "What the hell…'Lucas Scott's new love interest'…" She read from the page.

"Wait, that's from the airport" Haley said, nodding her head as she looked at the pictures covering the left side of the page.

"What is it?" Nathan asked, growing curious. He walked over to the couch and peered down into the magazine. "Oh." He said plainly after scanning the magazine.

Haley pulled the magazine from Brooke and rested it on her lap. Haley began reading from the article, "Lucas Scott finds new love? Not even three months after his divorce is finalized, Lucas Scott is spotted at a New York airport with a new woman. The two are obviously very close, and a source close to Scott says that they have been seeing each other for a while now. Does this mean New York's golden boy has a secret?"

"Oh god" Brooke groaned, "This is not good! Please tell me this is the only one" she asked, looking up at Chae nervously.

Chae bit on her lip, "Well, it's the only one _I_ got" she said with a nervous smile.

"I don't see why it's so bad" Nathan chimed in, "I mean, it can only do good. Now you two don't have to sneak around." He said with a shrug.

"Sneak around? We're _friends_!" Brooke whined, stomping her foot on the ground.

"You've seen the pictures Davis" Nathan said with a laugh.

"Nathan, you aren't helping!" Haley scolded. She then tipped her head and examined the pictures. In one of them, it looked like Brooke and Lucas were kissing, and in every other one, his arm was wrapped around her or his face was in her hair. "Okay, so maybe the pictures are a bit…_questionable_."

Chae leaned back into the couch, a content smile on her face.

"And why are _you_ so _happy_! This _sucks_!" Brooke groaned, wiggling a finger around in Chae's face. Chae continued smiling which agitated Brooke even more. "This sucks for Lucas! He already can't get away from the media, and now _this_! And _you_ are _smiling_!"

"I'm just happy my Brucas are back" Chae shrugged, standing from the couch and casually walking to her room.

"_Haley_" Brooke whined, "Now what do we do?"

"Just don't stress about it…they'll think what they want and soon enough Brangelina will adopt again, and this will be old news" Haley said, placing a hand on Brooke's shoulder. Brooke frowned leaning her head on Haley's shoulder.

"What's going on in here?" Lucas asked happily, walking into the living room suddenly. "Where's my beautiful baby girl?" He smiled, walking towards the swing and lifting Averie into his arms.

"Do you _always_ have to walk in during a crisis?" Brooke pouted, lifting her head from Haley's shoulder to look up at Lucas.

"Are you ok?" Lucas asked, noticing Brooke's frown. Haley was smiling nervously and Nathan was in the kitchen, obviously trying to avoid whatever was going on.

"Here" Brooke sighed, handing the magazine to Lucas. He stared at the magazine, confused. He wasn't sure why Brooke was handing him a gossip magazine. "Page 74" she groaned, leaning back into Haley.

Lucas sat in a chair, flipping through the pages as he held Averie on his lap. He scanned the pages and then shut the magazine. "When did you get this?"

"Chae brought it home…ruining our good day" Brooke whined.

"Yeah, she's kind of _freaking_ out" Haley said, raising her eyebrows as she motioned towards Brooke.

"It's okay…" Lucas said calmly. "It's not a big deal."

"It's not a big deal!" Brooke screeched, standing from the couch. "It _is_ a big deal, now we can't even go out in public!"

Nathan walked into the living room, holding a sandwich and laughing. "Stop being so dramatic Davis."

"Brooke its fine" Lucas said, reassuring her. "This doesn't change anything…we can still live our lives, and sooner or later they'll forget."

Brooke exhaled deeply, her chest rising and falling. She tipped her head down and bit on her bottom lip, she almost looked like she was going to cry.

"Come here" Lucas said softly, walking towards her. He wrapped his free arm around her and she immediately fell into him. "It'll be fine I promise." He told her. They stayed quiet for a few seconds…Lucas held Averie in one arm and Brooke in the other, and he knew this was how it was supposed to be. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke up again. "That's not what I'm worried about anyways…"

Brooke pulled away from him quickly, "What do you mean that's not what you're worried about?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes at him. "What else do you even _have_ to worry about?"

Lucas smiled nervously, squinting his eyes. "Well, my mom called…they come home next week…"

Brooke threw her head back. When she brought it back up she looked at him and started to speak, "Does she _know_?"

"I told her I have big news" Lucas shrugged. "While she was gone, we never really got a chance to talk, other than short emails…and I didn't feel good about telling her I have a baby through the internet" Lucas explained, knowing Brooke was most likely not going to be happy.

Haley started to laugh, causing Brooke to realize that her and Lucas weren't the only two in the room.

"This is getting good" Haley smiled from the couch. Lucas was in deep shit now.

"Nathan" Brooke said, smiling sweetly at him. She then took Averie from Lucas and walked towards Nate. "Could you take her for a minute?" She asked, already handing Nathan the baby. "We'll be right back" she said, smiling as she nodded towards her friends. She then grabbed Lucas' arm and pulled him into her bedroom, closing the door behind them.

"Brooke, it's okay" Lucas said, laughing lightly.

"How the hell are you going to explain all of this to your mom!" Brooke yelled quietly, trying to keep her voice as low as possible. "Don't you think it's something you should've told her? God Lucas, Averie is a month old! You've had _plenty_ of time to tell her! _Nine months_ to be exact!"

"Well, I already told her me and Peyton got divorced" he said. He walked towards her bed and sat down, watching as she paced in front of him. "It'll be fine Brooke," Lucas smiled, reaching a hand out and grabbing her arm to stop her from pacing. "She'll love you…and Averie. Trust me."

"But it's your mom Lucas" Brooke reiterated, throwing her hands in the air. "Your _mom_!"

Lucas laughed lightly; she was kinda cute when she was stressed. "It's gonna be fine," Lucas said again, smiling at her reassuringly.

"How can so much happen in _one_ day" Brooke sighed, trying not to cry. She felt like the whole day had been one long emotional rollercoaster. First, her and Haley's argument…then they were happy again…then Chae comes in and drops the magazine on her…then she calms down from that…and then Lucas' big 'mom' news. "When is it gonna end?" She asked quietly, sounding defeated.

Lucas hated seeing her like this, and he wanted more than anything to make her feel better. "Its okay," he said, smiling softly at her. He opened his arms and she immediately fell into them. She grasped his body tightly and pressed her face into his shoulder. "I'll take care of my mom; you don't have to worry about it. And as for the pictures…I think its best that everyone knows…"

"What's there to know?" She sighed into his shoulder. She felt like she was getting more worn out by the minute, and as much as she didn't want to be so _close_ to Lucas, she couldn't make herself move.

"Brooke" Lucas said, laughing lightly. "_We_ have a _baby_…It's obviously going to come out sooner or later…"

Brooke nodded against him. "I guess you're right." She started to move around in his arms until he released her. "I just don't want _you_ to have to deal with all of this too along with everything else…"

Lucas smiled at her, "It's worth it…its worth it all as long as you and Averie are in my life."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so I hope you guys liked it! Make sure and let me know! I am working on the next chapter right now, so review and when its finished I'll put it up! Thank you so much for taking the time to review, I love you all! See you soon friends!**

**dolcegrazia- yaaay for being the very first to review! That is awesome! It's finally you being first again haha. Okay so I hope you liked this chapter...the aftermath of Lucas/HAley meeting haha. I always just see Brooke as being a great mom when she is a mom! Anyways, Thank you for always reviewing! I always watch for your reviews! I hope you liked this chapter :)**

**Jem (flipflopgal)- I'm so glad you like how Lucas interacts with Brooke and Ave! I love it too, it shows his nice side haha. I'm glad that you understand why Haley acted the way she did, and I hope you liked this chapter and that I like wrote the whole Haley thing okay. Anyways, I love your reviews! They are always so fun to read! I hope you liked this chapter and thank you for reviewing!!**

**Katherine- So first of all, I seriously always love your reviews! I'm glad you are liking Brucas as friends! Even though we all know they can't handle being just friends for very long haha. They are just too perfect and hott to just be friends haha. I'm glad you noticed the part about Lucas not knowing that Brooke doesn't make clothes, I wanted to put that in there to show that Brucas dont really know each other that much because their relationship before was mostly physical...so I'm glad you caught that! And they do have a lot to learn!! I'm glad you liked the whole airport scene cuz I really wasn't sure if I wrote it that well, so I'm glad you liked it! And I agree, an overprotective lucas is freaking HOTT!! So I really hope that you liked this chapter with all the Lucas/Haley drama! Oh, and I have a Brooke quote for you "Nobody wants to be on Team Peyton because their captain is a big whore!...Welcome to Team Brooke!" I just figured that'd be a good way to end this thank you. And only because its the truth :) hehehe. Thanks for being the best reviewer :) ily!!**

**Cass(CheerandBrood323)- Hey buddy!! Hahaa i like that episode when he's all i'm gonna get her back! I also like the one where peyton is like 'i love you' and lucas is like 'oh.' hahahaha. poor little peythoe! I love OTH parties! Me and my friend watched OTH friday and saturday night...thats seriously how cool we are haha. Everyone is getting sick of us cuz we just wanna stay home and watch it! So anyways. I hope you had a good weekend! I'm sad that its like over but oh well! I hope you liked this chapter! Love you buddy!!**

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- You are so right, Brooke does just need to admit her feelings! haha. Well said. I hope you liked this chapter! Make sure and let me know! Thank you for always reviewing, I love getting them!**

**lilohb- Thank you for patiently waiting for Brucas! Hahaa. They are slowly getting there, but will be there in no time :) haha. thanks for always reviewing, i love them!**

**othfan326- I always love your reviews!! To answer your question...yes, Chae has met NAley...a few couple chapters back I wrote about it! So yeah they are all friends, but Haley does have a hard time with Chae and Brooke being so close! I'm glad you like how Brucas/Chae/Averie all get along! i like it too, its fun to write :) I really hope you liked this chapter! Make sure and let me know, I love to hear what you have to say! hehe. THanks!!**

**onetreefan- haha I'm glad you liked the last chapter!! Haha. Loved your review! I hope you liked this one :)**

**reina123- I'm glad you liked the new spin on the characters! I like it as well...seeing as its like not ok to have lucas and haley not be friends haha. i like to mix things up a bit :) haha. i hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for always reviewing!!**

**LoVeBrucas- Okay, so as you already know...I like looove your reviews!! haha. Like seriously they like make me laugh all the time. hahah. Yeah, I am kinda energetic...I think my friends want to kill me most of the time hahaa. Apparently its annoying at like 2 in the morning, but whatever!! hahaa. I have a feeling we would be great friends! hahaa. Just cuz you seem like so much fun too! Hahaha so your review totally made me laugh...i could probably stop saying that hahha but really, just reading it again is cracking me up i love it. and you are right, i understand what you are trying to say in it so no worries! I mean obviously you dont like it just when people feel bad hahahaa. Cuz then you'd be like peyton...and thats just not cool. Ok so now that i've totally veeered off subject...so i absolutely looooved the end of your review when you were saying what everyone needs to do! I seriously was like laughing sooo hard! hahaha. I'm laughing about it again right now to be honest haha. I like can't get over it, it is just too funny! So I'm glad this thank you is like longer than the chapter now haha, but whatever i just like love you haha. I hope you liked this chapter, and i can't wait to hear from you again cuz i just love you lol. omg and i just got the best recipe for red velvet cake...it sounds goood huh! I'm gonna attempt to make it, but considering my disaster trying to make rice krispie treats this weekend, it could be difficult hahaa.**

**courtneylovejason- hahaha so your review is like freaking long. i love it. i love reading your psycho comments hahaa. so you are soooo right, making laley not friends is like forbidden! hahaa its funny...So since I have naley in my story, brucas needs to be appearing in yours like now. okay. yeah, that was a threat...p.s. i left it there just to piss you off! So do you want me to tell you what happens in this chapter since you haven't read it yet?? hahahaaaa...that would be sooooo funny. but i wont be mean :) i'm bracing myself for a long crazy review :) xoxox**

**bella- haha i loved your review and how you are like putting things together! I pretty much just like that you still like this story! haha. I hope you liked this chapter :) thanks for allwaaaays reviewing! Its good to hear what you have to say :)**

**erika- hahaha so i loved your review! and i agree, the description of luke was very good, it made me smile just picturing him in my head! Okay so I still havent tried chocolate therapy :( i'm going to this week though...thats my goal! OH and my best friend just gave me a recipe for red velvet cake so i'm gonna attempt to make that...how good does that sound mmmmm.. k now that i've gotten way off track hahaha. haha you are so right...brucas being friends is sortof a joke...they can't like stay clothed long enough to stay friends hahahaaa. gotta love brucas!! I live in salt lake city utah haha...i'm sure you arent a total creeper so i'll tell you hahaa. Oh and ps your reviews dont bore me, they actually entertain me hahaa. Sooo i hope you liked this chapter...i cant wait to hear what you think...ily!!**

**brucas333- hahaha you almost did have me, i almost thought about them kissing...but it will be coming...i think i cant wait just as much as you guys ahhaaha. which is odd since i'm in control haha. anyways...thanks for always reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**IamCaroline- I'm glad you liked the HAley/Lucas meeting! My best friend would react the same too hahaa. So I'm glad you likked it! I loved your review! I always love seeing what you have to say! I hope you liked this chapter..make sure and let me know k!**

**XPeytonXPunknDisorderly- I'm glad you understand HAley's reasoning for freaking out! she's just tryin to be a good friend :) fingers crossed for brucas :) haha thanks for reviewing! I love them! I hope you liked this chapter.**

**chebelle- haha you really did get me...i was like frowning at the first part of your review then i kept reading and started laughing. you are funny ahhahaa. okay so just know that i loved your whole review, like everything you had to say in it :) thank you sooo much for it!! I really enjoy getting reviews from you! I hope you liked this chapter! Make sure and let me know! Thanks for always reviewing!!**

**BrucasNaleyLuvr- so its always weird writing your thank yous when i'm like talking to you ahahaha. so i hope you liked this chapter...even though you already read like a crucial part of it hahaa. I'm trying my hardest to get this update up before you go to bed..so lets hope it works! ANyways..thanks for always reviewing and being an awesome friend! ily!!**

**BrOoKe DaViS23- I added you to my MSN but i swear i've never seen you on when i'm on hahaha. But anyways! THanks for always reviewing and i think its pretty cool that you like my story enough to give me spoilers hahaa. I hope you liked this chapter :)**

**Brucas3Naley23- i'm so glad that you liked the haley/lucas meeting! I waas hoping that it was written ok! And yes, Brucas is definitely having some sexual tension hahaa. I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for always reviewing!**

**Amy (brucas2008)- hey buddy! you live in ireland?? omg okay i like freaked out when i read that! haha. I wanna go there soooo bad you don't even know! I seriously could ask you a billion questions but i'll refrain hahaa or this would go on forever. ever since i saw the movie ps i love you, i've wanted to go there soooo bad like you dont even know!! I'm glad you like where I am going with the story :) thats awesome! Sorry this thank you is kinda lame...i'm still like in shock you live in ireland and quite a bit jealous hahaaha. Hope you liked the chapter! and thanks for reviewing xoxox**

**Natalie (iluvmedou)- I'm so glad you liked the chapter :) your reviews always make me smile! Okay...so the beatles song...i'm sorta obsessed with them and wish i couldve went to one of their concerts back in the day...but anyways the song is 'love me do' and it was like their first big hit!! Your fanfiction name totally reminds me of that song! in fact i'm singing it in my head right now hahaa. google it and listen to it...you wont be disapointed haha. i hope you liked this chapter!! Thanks for reviewing!!**

**onetreehillgirl066- I'm so sorry to hear about your grandma :( how is she doing? better i hope...Thats so cool that she said all of your guys' names...and jackpot?? hahaa. sounds like my grandma :) I feel ya on the allergies thing...mine have been so bad lately its like not even funny! they are like miserable! I really hope that you are feeling better and that your grandma is doing better. Maybe this chapter will help lift your spirits a little :) Hope all is well friend! Thanks for reviewing :)**

**Christie (sweetchristie03)- I am so glad you are loving the story still :) hope this chapter didn't disapoint ;) i'm glad you understand how haley is acting...she's just worried about her friend..i know i would be if i were haley lol. Anyways, i hope you liked this chapter and thank you so much for always reviewing i love them!**

**Lydia (TutorGrr)- I'm so glad that you are liking how everything is going in the story!! I hope you liked this chapter as well! Thanks for reviewing :)**

**KAte- I'm so glad you loved everything about that chapter! And thats awesome it left you craving more hahahaa. Thanks for your review :) i hope you liked this chapter!**

**Sara (brucas2006)- Hey BRF!! OMG you reviewed before the next chapter was posted! hahahaa. Way to go friend! I still need to read your newest chapter, and I'm planning to sometime tonight :) just because you are like the best! haha. Oh and ps you have one of the best stories on FF too! It is like my favorite...i'm not gonna lie hahahaa. Anyways, lets just say I loved your review as usual! I loved like every part of it, and if i mentioned it all this thank you would turn into a chapter hahaa. Anyways, thanks for always reviewing and just being so awesome...cuz you are! haha. wow so that made like no sense. haha. so i'm really excited cuz i got a recipe for red velvet cake and i just had to tell you..i havent attempted to make it yet cuz it could be disasterous...so hopefully it works out! Okay now i'm just rambling lol. Thanks for reviewing...i'm excited to read your newest chapter and ILY BRFF!! haha that sums it all up :)**


	25. The Day That Saved Us

**A/N: Okay so I'm really excited for this chapter, and I so hope you all love it! The song in this chapter is 'The Space Between' by Dave Matthews Band...I love this song! Enjoy!!**_

* * *

_

_You cannot quit me so quickly_

_There's no hope in you for me_

_No corner you could squeeze me_

_But I got all the time for you love_

**Chapter Twenty-Five- The Day That Saved Us**

"I can't believe you are already leaving" Brooke frowned as she pushed Averie's stroller through the mall.

"I know, it seems like we just got here" Haley sighed. She was walking next to Brooke and pushing Max in his stroller. They had decided to leave Nathan at home and go to the mall before Haley and Nathan had to leave for the airport.

"Let's go in here real quick" Brooke said, stopping in front of Victorias Secret. Haley raised her eyebrows at Brooke. "What? I like their pajamas…" Brooke said, defending herself from Haley's wondering eyes.

"Sure ya do" Haley said with a nod. They walked into the store and Brooke actually did veer towards the pajama pants. "So, Lucas' mom is coming home…how are you feeling?"

Brooke picked up a pair of grey sweats and looked them over. "Uhm, honestly? Not good." Brooke hung the pants over her arm and looked up at Haley. "I mean, this poor lady is going to come home to a new granddaughter…which would be fine if the baby came from her son's wife…well ex-wife…but you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I'm sure its not gonna be easy for Lucas to tell his mom that he cheated on his wife in the first place" Haley said with a dry laugh.

Brooke raised an eyebrow at Haley. She then walked more into the store and stopped in front of the bras and panties. "Is it bad that I want her to like me?"

Haley slowly shook her head, "No, I think that's perfectly normal." Haley reached for a black lacey bra and ran her fingers over it before checking the price and putting it back. "She'll like you Brooke…it might take her awhile to warm up to you, but she'll like you eventually."

"Thanks Hale's" Brooke said with a laugh. She picked up a sexy red bra and went in search for matching panties. Haley walked away with Max while Brooke looked at the lingerie.

"Oh my god!" A teenage girl from behind Brooke shrieked. "You are that girl…Lucas Scott's girlfriend!" Brooke turned around at the mention of Lucas and watched as a young girl excitedly jumped up and down. "Katie! Katie come here…it's the girl from the magazines!" the girl yelled to her friend who was across the store.

Brooke turned around, lifting a hand to her head and trying to act like she didn't know they were talking to her. Brooke looked around for Haley but couldn't see her anywhere.

The two girls linked their arms together and walked up to Brooke. "Is it true?" One of the girls asked as the other chewed on her finger nail intently.

"Is what true?" Brooke asked casually, hiking her purse further up her shoulder and gripping the stroller tightly.

"You and Lucas..." the other girl asked, a 'duh' look on her face.

"Oh…uhm…well" Brooke stuttered, "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Katie, she has a _baby_" the girl whispered in her friends' ear, loud enough for Brooke to hear.

"Oh my god! She has _Lucas Scotts_ baby!" Katie shrieked.

At this Brooke dropped the items she was intending to buy and rushed out of the store, pushing her stroller quickly as her heels clacked on the linoleum.

Haley was smelling different lotions when she saw Brooke leave the store in a hurry so she quickly met her friend outside of the store.

"What's going on?" Haley asked, walking fast as she pushed the stroller in attempt to keep up with Brooke.

"We have to get out of here" Brooke said seriously, heading towards the exit.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"What happened in there?" Haley asked Brooke as they rode up the elevator to Brooke's apartment. Ever since they left the mall Brooke had been quiet. She seemed on edge and wasn't talking at all…and when Brooke of all people wasn't talking, you knew something was wrong.

Brooke shook her head lightly, picking up Averie's car-seat and stepping out of the elevator as the doors opened. Haley followed Brooke into the apartment. Brooke immediately took Averie into her room to change the baby's' diaper and Haley went into the kitchen to make a bottle for Max.

The two girls met up in the living room with both babies and Haley sat by Brooke on the couch.

"This is so stupid" Brooke groaned, staring down at Averie who was flailing her tiny arms around.

"What is?" Haley asked, holding Max as she fed him his bottle.

"These two girls…"

"What girls?" Haley questioned, she had no idea what Brooke was talking about and was only getting more confused.

"In the store, they noticed me from the magazines and kept asking questions" Brooke told Haley. She readjusted Averie on her lap then turned towards Haley. "They noticed Averie and started putting things together and I just freaked out" Brooke shrugged.

"I'm sorry Brooke" Haley frowned, knowing that this was something Brooke didn't want to deal with.

"Yeah, it's gonna come out eventually…and they were just two teenage hotties anyways…it just kinda freaked me out" Brooke sighed, standing up and bouncing Averie when she started to cry.

"It's okay Brooke" Haley said, smiling softly at her friend.

"Can't you just stay?" Brooke asked sadly. "I'm not ready for you to go yet…"

Haley frowned, looking over at the suitcases that Nathan had packed. She hated seeing Brooke upset, and she wished there was something, anything, she could do. It made it even harder considering that Brooke just started letting Haley back into her life again.

"Speaking of leaving" Nathan said, walking into the living room.

"Where were you?" Haley asked, staring up at him confused.

"You weren't here when we got here" Brooke added, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I ran down to the lobby for a minute" Nathan explained and both girls nodded. "I called a cab…it should be here in a few minutes," Nathan said, lowering his head. He knew that Brooke and Haley hated to say bye, and he felt bad for the two. He walked towards Brooke and wrapped an arm around her, trying not to crush Averie who was lying against her shoulder. "I love you B." he said as he hugged her.

"I love you too Natey" Brooke said, her voice quivering as she tried not to cry.

"You take care of yourself" he said, pulling away from her. He then leant down and kissed Averie on the head. "Take care of her too…If you need anything call, okay?"

Brooke nodded, biting on her lip in attempt to stop the tears that were forming behind her eyes. Nathan walked towards Haley and took Max from her so that she could say bye to Brooke.

Nathan lifted one of Max's tiny hands and waved it towards Brooke, causing her to laugh.

"Bye handsome" Brooke said to Max softly, walking towards Nathan and kissing the baby's bald head. "I'll miss you…so will cousin Averie."

"Make sure and tell Lucas and Chae bye for us" Nathan told Brooke. He looked over at Haley who was sitting on the couch refusing to look at Brooke. "We'll be in the lobby…" he told his wife before he and Max left the apartment.

"So" Brooke said sadly and watched as Haley stood from the couch. Averie had finally fallen asleep so Brooke laid her in the small bassinet that was in the living room. She then walked towards Haley and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I don't wanna leave" Haley said sadly, gripping Brooke tightly.

"I know best friend" Brooke said, tears now slowly running down her face. By now both girls were crying. Brooke pulled back and watched as tears fell down Haley's face. She started to laugh through her own tears, causing Haley to laugh as well.

"We're pretty ridiculous aren't we" Haley half laughed, half cried.

"Mmhmm" Brooke said, smiling through her tears. She bit on her lip and roughly wiped at her eyes. "I love you Haley James."

"I love you Brooke Davis" Haley said sadly, pulling Brooke into another hug. "Be careful with your heart" she whispered into Brooke's ear. Brooke nodded and they pulled away from each other once more. Haley walked towards Averie's bassinet and kissed two fingers before placing them on the baby's head. "Bye Ave" Haley said, standing from the bassinet and walking towards the door.

Brooke followed her and the two hugged once more. "Call me when you get there kay?"

"I will" Haley nodded. She smiled at Brooke softly before she walked out of the door, Brooke closing it behind her.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Chae walked into her and Brooke's apartment a little after 4 pm. She found Brooke in her room, sitting on her bed and bouncing Averie over her shoulder. Chae climbed onto the bed and smiled at Brooke.

"So did they leave?" Chae asked, placing a hand on Brooke's knee.

"Yeah" Brooke sighed. She hated when she had to say goodbye to Haley, it had always been hard. She remembered the summer after 7th grade…it was her first time going away to cheer camp, and her and Haley refused to let go of each other when the bus was about to leave. Even when Brooke got to camp and met a lot of new girls, she still couldn't help but be homesick for her best friend. Brooke knew she would be okay, if she could live without Haley while she was away at cheer camp, she could live away from her now that she was 22.

Chae leaned over, and looked at Averie whose head was resting on Brooke's shoulder. "She's asleep ya know?"

Brooke nodded, raising her eyebrows. "Yeah…and that's good right? But every time I try to lay her down she screams, then I pick her up and she stops."

Chae laughed lightly, running a finger on Averie's soft cheek. "Well that's new for her…"

Brooke nodded obviously stressed out about the situation, "Yeah, I know!"

"So where's Daddy when you need him?" Chae asked with a smirk as Brooke rolled her eyes.

"He'll be here soon…we're going to dinner with his friends tonight…remember?" Brooke said, watching as Chae nodded her head slowly. Brooke wasn't very excited to meet Lucas' friends. She was worried about what they would think of her and Averie. It was a weird situation all together, Lucas did get her pregnant while he was married…and that just didn't look good. She was just worried about how his friends would react to that.

"Totally forgot about that" Chae said, raising an eyebrow at Brooke. "Hopefully Sassy will be good at dinner" Chae said with a laugh.

"Sassy?" Brooke questioned, her face scrunching up. Chae always seemed to come up with crazy names for everyone, and even Brooke couldn't keep up half the time. This was weird, because Brooke was always known for never calling anyone by their real names.

Chae laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Averie has the sassiest personality ever…"

"Right" Brooke said as she nodded her head. "If that's your story…"

"She does" Chae giggled. "When does Lover-Boy get here? Do you want me to take her for you so you can get ready?"

Brooke shook her head, when it came to her and Lucas she had to pretty much ignore everything that came out of Chae's mouth. But she couldn't get mad, because Chae was a really good friend and just wanted her to be happy. "That would be great if you could take her…I don't think this will make a good first impression" Brooke said, looking down at her tight sweats and small tank top…she was just happy she was fitting back into _all_ of her clothes now.

"Well, you did say one of them was a guy…I'm sure he wouldn't complain" Chae giggled, and Brooke pulled at her shirt, trying to cover her stomach. "But then Luke would _probably_ get jealous…then again, a jealous Lucas _is_ a hott Lucas" Chae said, tipping her head to the side as she reasoned.

"You are horrible" Brooke said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes at Chae's comment. She carefully handed Averie to Chae and skipped off towards the bathroom.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas sat on the couch holding Averie. Chae was flipping through a magazine on the chair, and Brooke was still in the bathroom getting ready.

"How long is she gonna take?" Lucas questioned, growing more impatient.

Chae laughed, "She's been in there forever…hopefully soon. I'll go check on her."

Lucas nodded and Chae left the room. Lucas looked down at Averie who was lying on his legs, she was so tiny and perfect and Lucas still couldn't believe that he helped bring her into this world. "You look _just_ like your mommy" he whispered, "and she's _beautiful_." He leaned down and kissed Averie's forehead. When he leaned back up he ran a finger over her dark silky hair.

"She's almost ready," Chae announced, bouncing into the room. "She wants Averie to wear this" Chae told him, handing Lucas a light pink cotton dress.

Lucas nodded and started to change Averie. After the baby was dressed Chae put a matching pink bow-headband in her hair.

"Ready?" Brooke asked, walking into the living room acting as if she was waiting on Lucas instead of the other way around. She was dressed in a pair of dark, tight jeans and a silky red strapless top. Her hair was curled lightly at the ends and fell over her soft shoulders.

Lucas stood from the couch, cradling Averie in his arms. "You look amazing" he told her. He walked towards her and placed his free hand on her waist; he then leaned in and kissed her cheek. Chae couldn't help but smile widely at the Brucas moment.

Brooke smiled at him softly and then turned her attention to Chae who was still grinning. "I'll see you later…"

"Mmhmm" Chae said, still excited for Brooke and Lucas. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do" she said with a wink.

"Well that just leaves our night _full_ of options" Brooke said, sticking her tongue out at Chae before leaving the apartment.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke was totally nervous on the ride to the restaurant. Lucas had met up with his two friends a little over a week ago and he had filled them in on everything that happened. He said that they were shocked, but they weren't disappointed. From what Brooke could tell, the two had only met Peyton briefly, but neither of them got a good impression of the fake blonde. She just hoped that they weren't too hard to please, and that they actually liked her.

Lucas looked over at Brooke and smiled, resting a hand on her knee, "Don't be nervous."

Brooke dropped the piece of hair that she had been twirling around her finger. She looked over at him and sighed, "I'm not nervous…" He laughed lightly, causing her to laugh as well. "Okay maybe a little." She said with a tiny shrug.

"Well, you don't need to be" he said, rubbing her knee. He pulled into a parking garage and parked, waiting as Brooke quickly touched up her lip gloss. They both got out of the truck and Brooke waited for him as he got Averie's car seat out. The baby had started whimpering lightly once the truck stopped moving and now she was crying.

"I doubt she'll stay in there" Brooke said with a laugh, motioning to the car seat that the crying infant was still laying in. "She's been wanting to be held all day" Brooke explained.

"She's probably just upset she hasn't seen me all day" Lucas said with a light laugh.

"Oh _really_" Brooke said, smiling widely. She unbuckled Averie from her car seat and lifted her into her arms letting Lucas carry a now empty car seat. "Hey, will you grab her blanket from my bag" Brooke asked. It was spring time, but it was still a little cold at night, and Brooke was still unsure of bringing her baby out.

Lucas reached into her bag and pulled out the pink blanket. He covered Averie with it and they began to walk towards the small restaurant that they were meeting Mouth and Rachel at.

"So its Mouth and…" Brooke said, squinting her eyes and trying to remember his friends' names.

Lucas laughed; he placed a hand on Brooke's lower back to lead her through the busy streets. "Rachel…Mouth and Rachel" he told her, and she nodded her head in remembrance. They finally reached the tiny Italian restaurant and Brooke was glad that Lucas had picked somewhere low key. He held the door open for her and they walked inside. "Reservation for Scott" Lucas told the hostess as they reached her.

"Party for four?" She questioned, grabbing four menus. Lucas nodded and she began to lead them through the restaurant. "The other two haven't arrived yet," she told them as Brooke and Lucas sat down next to each other in the booth. "I will send them your way when they get here" she said, smiling at the two.

"Thanks" Lucas said, smiling back at the girl. He then turned his attention to Brooke. "Here, let me give you a break" he told her, taking Averie from her arms.

"Thanks" Brooke smiled, reaching for the menu once her hands were free. She hadn't been looking at the menu for long when she heard a loud, squeaky voice.

"Lucas Scott!" Rachel practically yelled from across the restaurant.

Lucas shook his head, and stood from the booth, glad that he had let Brooke sit by the window. "Hey" he smiled, wrapping the redhead in a one armed hug.

"Long time no see" Mouth said from behind, his voice screechy as he smiled. Brooke was still staring at her menu intently.

"God, who in their right mind would give your scrawny ass a baby?" Rachel questioned, staring at the baby in Lucas' arms, "She is cute though…" Rachel shrugged.

Lucas laughed and sat back down in the booth, his friends then noticed Brooke for the first time.

"So you must be-" Mouth started as Brooke looked up from her menu.

"Oh my god!" Brooke said, dropping her menu in shock as she looked up to see Lucas' friends for the first time.

"Alright _Skank_," Rachel mused, placing her hands on her hips, "I haven't seen you in how many years and _that's_ the reaction I get? You could do better than that."

"Wait do you two-" Lucas started as he looked between the two girls.

Brooke lifted a hand up to her head and pushed Lucas out of the booth with the other. Once he was finally out of her way she stood from the booth and threw her arms around Rachel.

"Know each other?" Mouth asked, finishing Lucas' sentence.

"God, Rachel" Brooke said, pulling back from the hug in shock. She couldn't believe that Lucas' friend Rachel was her old best friend from Jr. High.

"I missed you too fat ass" Rachel said with a smirk.

"You are still such a bitch" Brooke smiled; she had really missed her friend.

Both girls finally sat down, Brooke next to Lucas and Averie and Rachel next to Mouth.

"I can't believe you left out the fact that you knocked up Brooke _Davis_" Rachel said, with a laugh, shaking her head.

"How was I supposed to know you two knew each other" Lucas said, still confused.

"How _do_ you guys know each other?" Mouth asked, setting his water glass back down on the table.

"We were best friends growing up" Brooke started.

"But when we were 15, my parents moved us to New York" Rachel said, starting where Brooke had left off. "And that's when I met you two dumb asses" she explained with a wink.

"Right" Lucas said with a nod, still finding it hard to believe that the two girls knew each other.

"Rachel was like the school whore" Brooke said with a giggle, remembering all of the trouble they used to get into together.

"And Brooke was the easy cheerleader" Rachel said with a tip of her glass. "Come to think of it, I think _that's_ why we were friends."

"That and the fact you are both smokin' hott" Mouth said, his smile still big as he stared at both girls.

"Mouth" Lucas warned, not liking his friend making comments about Brooke.

"This one time, Rachel's parents went out of town" Brooke started, moving her hands around as she talked, "And so we threw the biggest party at her house-"

"Do we really wanna hear this?" Lucas questioned, he saw how Rachel's face lit up at the mention of this party, so he knew something crazy had to have happened there.

"Okay, maybe you don't" Brooke giggled, making a face at Rachel.

"If you two were such great friends, why didn't you keep in touch?" Mouth asked, looking up from his menu.

Brooke frowned and Rachel sighed, deciding that she would take this question. "We had got caught at school with alcohol…for the third time in one week. My parents were actually around then, and they weren't happy. My dad decided to take a job in New York, deciding it would be best if me and Brooke didn't see each other anymore, he said _she_ was a bad influence and it would be better off if we didn't hang out anymore." She said with a shrug.

"Since when do _you_ listen to your parents?" Lucas asked raising his eyebrows.

"I don't know, I guess at 14 its hard to stay in touch with people when you leave…yeah it sucked, but I just looked at it as an opportunity to corrupt a whole new school" she said with a flirty smile. She hated talking about leaving Tree Hill, because as much as she hated the small boring town, she loved it.

"You were excited to corrupt a new school? And you ended up with _these two_…job well done" Brooke said sarcastically, raising her eyebrows with a laugh.

"Don't question my corruption skills…I mean, Lucas _did_ knock you up didn't he?" Rachel said, smiling slyly at the two.

They spent the rest of the evening mainly listening to Brooke and Rachel reminisces about old times. Lucas sat back and just enjoyed listening to the sound of Brooke laughing. Every now and then, during a funny part of one of her stories, Brooke would lightly touch his chest or his knee and Lucas was content with that. Rachel even held Averie for a few minutes, declaring that it was the first time she had held a baby. Mouth had pretty much stared at Brooke with his jaw on the floor throughout the whole dinner, and as uncomfortable as it made Lucas, Brooke didn't even seem to notice.

Averie was getting fussy, and they decided it was probably time to leave. Brooke and Rachel said their goodbyes, and the four made plans to meet up soon. Brooke and Lucas sat in the truck in silence as she fed Averie before they left. She hoped that the baby would fall asleep on the way home and hopefully stay that way. When they finally made it back to Brooke's apartment, Lucas carefully lifted Averie from her car seat.

They rode the elevator in silence, and quietly walked to the door. Brooke unlocked it and they walked in, Lucas immediately went to Brooke's room and laid Averie in her crib, covering her with a blanket.

"Love you Ave" he whispered, before leaving the room and closing the door softly behind him.

He found Brooke in the kitchen, smiling as she looked through a stack of mail. "That was fun Luke." She said, smiling as she looked up at him. "Thanks for inviting us…"

"Anytime" he said, smiling softly. "That's pretty crazy that you and Rachel know each other…"

"No" Brooke giggled, "its crazy that _you_ and Rachel know each other." She dropped the envelopes on the counter. "So what's up with her and Mouth? Are they a…_thing_?"

"I think he wishes they were" Lucas said honestly. "They've always had a weird relationship. I think she really likes him, the whole commitment thing just freaks her out."

"Typical Rachel" Brooke said with a nod.

"Yeah, I think one day she'll just stop playing games and they'll get married" Lucas said with a laugh.

"Married?" Brooke questioned, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Married" Lucas nodded, "They are together all the time, he travels with her when she leaves for modeling…once she admits she loves him that'll be it."

Brooke smiled, glad that Rachel had her life together. It seemed like she was doing really well, and making tons of money which was a plus. She was happy that Rachel had a great friend like Mouth that she could count on, and hoped that one day her red-head friend would be happy in love. But weren't those the same things she wanted for herself?

"Well" Lucas said, staring at the clock that was shining on the microwave. "I should probably get going..."

"Yeah" Brooke nodded, smiling softly as Lucas took her from her thoughts.

The two slowly walked towards the door, and Brooke held it open as Lucas stood out in the hallway. "Thanks for coming tonight" Lucas said, keeping his eyes locked on Brookes.

"Yeah" she nodded, "It was fun…"

"So, I'll call you tomorrow" Lucas told her. They stood there for a few seconds neither of them saying anything until Lucas leaned towards her, pulling her into a hug.

Brooke wrapped her arms around his neck as he snaked his around her waist. She leaned her head against his chest and couldn't help but notice how good he smelt. She had missed being so close to him. The only times she really had been lately were when she was upset…and that was just different.

Lucas pulled back so that he could see Brooke's face, but he still kept his hands securely on her waist. Neither of them said anything and he watched as she licked her lips. She looked into his bright blue eyes, and slowly bit her lip.

It seemed as if this moment was lasting forever, and it was hard to believe that they weren't the only two in the world. Lucas watched as Brooke's face slowly moved closer towards his, and before long he could feel her warm breath on his lips. She still had her eyes on his when she locked her hands tighter around his neck and suddenly crashed her lips onto his.

Lucas gripped her waist tighter as he tried to pull her as close to him as he possibly could. The kiss was tantalizing and slow, and he almost forgot how perfect her lips fit against his. She closed her eyes and relaxed into his arms, her fingers slowly making their way into his hair.

Lucas traced his tongue along her lip until she parted them, allowing him entrance into her mouth. The kiss slowly sped up as they got reacquainted with each other. Lucas' hands trailed up the back of her shirt, causing goose bumps to form all over her skin.

The kiss seemed to last forever, and Brooke smiled against his lips before slowly pulling away from him. He opened his eyes, and looked down to see Brooke's perfect white teeth and amazing dimples.

Lucas smiled as he lifted a hand and traced the side of her face with his fingers. Neither of them wanted to say anything, in fear of ruining the perfect moment they had shared. Lucas leaned towards her, kissing her softly once more.

"Talk to you tomorrow?" he asked, as they finally released each other.

"Count on it" Brooke said, smiling as she watched Lucas who was grinning like an idiot.

He leaned towards her, unable to stop himself from kissing her quickly once more before finally leaving.

Brooke closed the door, leaning her back against it. She couldn't help but be happy about her kiss with Lucas. But what worried her was that now that she had kissed him again, she didn't know if she'd be able to stop…

_The space between_

_In your heart and mine_

_Is the space we'll fill with time_

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

**A/N: Alright so how much do you guys love me right now? hahaha, a whole lot I bet! So you should definitely leave me a review and tell me what you thought :) You guys are awesome, but you already know that!!**

**...Thank You's...**

**dolcegrazia- haha you were totally the first reviewer again! way to go buddy! thats awesome! i'm glad you liked the last chapter, and you are right, Brooke is cute when she freaks out! i think its totally funny when she does! She's just so funny! I hope you liked this chapter!! Which you probably did! Thanks for always reviewing! You are awesome!**

**onetreefan- hahaha don't worry, i'm not gonna introduce a 'lindsey' into the mix! i am the only Lindsay that has anything to do with this story so no worries! haha. I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!!**

**Jen (courtneylovejason)- Here's the update so you can stop bugging me about it now! hahaha, I hope you are happy! which I'm sure you are!! Now you need to update! yeah! So I expect you to absolutely love this chapter, but knowing you you'll hate where I've left it ahahaha, but I think i've left it at a good place this time! I loved your review, totally made me laugh! haha. And I so do not make people work for me ahahhaa. maybe just a teensy bit...hahaha. now stop reading this and go read the good stuf! Kay?? I can't wait to hear what you think!**

**reina123- I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I couldn't let BAley stay mad at each other ahahaha that like gives me anxiety! haha. But thank you for always reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**Christie (sweetchristie03)- haha don't worry, Lucas isn't gonna screw things up just yet...well i havent written very much so i'm not exactly sure what will happen, but for the time being things will be good haha. I hope you liked this chapter! thanks for always reviewing! I love hearing from you!**

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)- You are so funny! I loved your review! You like totally crack me up! You think its time for a brucas kiss? hmmm...Anyways, thanks for always reviewing, I don't even have a whole lot to say which is horrible but it's only because I've been talking to you hahaha. You are my favorite! I hope you loved this chapter! You better have! hahaa. I'll talk to you soon! loooove you!!**

**bella- I loved your review! Everything you said was like good! I'm glad you noticed the little brooke/lucas interactions...they are definitely getting closer again! ANyways, thanks for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**erika-** **You are so funny! You're review cracked me up!! Hahaha. San Diego isnt THAT far! My best friend lives in California...it could be farther ahhahaa. So guess what? I actually went to BEn & Jerrys today and got chocolate therapy! OMG i seriously was like in heaven! I was like in my own little world the whole time I was eating it! It was seriously like the best thing ever and its all I can think about and its all your fault for introducing it to me! It was sooooooooo good! I loved your long rambling review! It was like so entertaining it was fun! Hahaha. It was just great! I really want red velvet cake..I think I'll attempt to make it on friday...hopefully it goes well! hahaha. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter!! ANd thanks for always reviewing and cracking me up! hahaha and thanks for getting me hooked on chocolate therapy! haha way to go with that one!**

**lilohb- hahaha I'm glad you are loving the story! And its great that it makes you go to bed happy :) haha your reviews make me go to bed happy! haha. I hope you liked this chapter! Thank you sooo much for always reviewing!!**

**TutorGrrl- hahha Yeah, I think if I was in HAley's position, that I'd act the same way!! haha me and my sister are watching OTH right now and Brooke is like spazzing at HAley to be a cheerleader its soooo funny! I love them together they make like the best friends! hahaha. Anyways...I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks so much for reviewing!!**

**IamCaroline- hahah I loved your review! Dude, I'd be scared of HAley too! Hahaha. I absolutely loved your review! like everything in it was just so true! haha. I so hope you liked this chapter, which I'm pretty sure you will have liked it! hahhaa. Thank you for always reviewing!**

**Sara (brucas2006)- Okay so I pretty much just love you! You are like my favorite! So I loved your review! I love how you like go into each thing that happens, its awesome! I love hearing what you have to say...I pretty much just love your reviews all together! I am so excited for you to read this chapter :) ahhaha but really I am like DYING here for an update of YOUR story...I really don't think I can wait...not with the way you left it! seriously I'm so excitedd! I still can't get over you being excited for snow! I just think its so funny! I am transferring schools in the fall and I'll be living like almost in the mountains and the snow is gonna be horrible! I am sooo not excited! But whatever, now I'm just rambling ahhaha. But hey, thats what we do best right?? Yeah, I think so! I still need to make that cake! I think I will on friday probably! I am excited! I'll tell you how it turns out :) hehehe. Thanks for reviewing! Love you Sar!! BRFF!!**

**BrucasNaleyluvr- hahaha I love how you wrote that review like early in the morning and I was still sleeping! Thats awesome! You know me, I don't condone waking up before 10 am ahhahahaa. So if you loved the last chapter, then you will for sure of loved this one! Yeah, so that sentence made no sense! Whatever, I'm like talking to you on MSN right now! I'm excited to read your chapter :) thanks for reviewing buddy!!**

**brucas2008- hey friend! I'm glad you loved the last chapter!! I bet you liked this one even more :) Thats crazy that you want to move here...Ireland is just so pretty in all the picture's I've seen of it! But I've heard it rains a lot lol. I'm watching OTH and its the one where Brooke is telling Lucas to fight for her awww. I love that part! Its like heart-wrenching! And Lucas is all 'how was i supposed to know' and she's like 'you just are'! It like makes me wanna ccry everytime hahaha. Okay so anyways! Thank you for reviewing!**

**Natalie (ilovemedou)- Okay so I totally get your name now! hahaha I thought you just didn't know how to spell do and spelled it dou...which is odd cuz why would you spell do dou hahaha. thats funny! I'm glad you loved the last chapter! If it made you smile lots then I bet you liked this one too! Make sure and let me know :) Thanks for always reviewing!!**

**brucas3- I love Brooke being a drama queen hahaha. So how did you like this chapter? I bet you liked it a lot hahah. Thanks for reviewing!!**

**othfan326- I loved your review! I'm so happy that the last chapter left you like speechless for a minute! That is like awesome hahaha. I love Chae too...I love her with Brucas and Averie! Nathan is definitely the level headed one when everything is like chaotic! He's just so hott haha. So I love your reviews and I always watch for them cuz they always make me happy! haha. I hope you liked this chapter and I can't wait to hear what you have to say about it! Thanks a million for always reviewing :)**

**chasitybsp- I'm so glad you are back! I was excited to get your review...i was wondering where you were! hahaha. Glad you are back though! A lot is definitely going on, but it'll start to calm down! So how much did you love this chapter! I seriously can't wait to get your review for it hahaha. Thanks for always reviewing :)**

**Katherine- Okay so I agree, that quote is just amazing and is definitely up there with the famous quotes by famous people! I have another quote for you but I'll put it at the end of the thank you :) I love Averie as a tiny baby too! I'm glad you do too! I'm glad you like all the details, cuz I think some people don't write much about babies when they are tiny and it kind of makes you forget they are there! And its not good to forget when they are like a huge part of the story ahahah. I just love that you love all of the Averie moments :) it makes me happy!! I've missed Brucas I just like need them back together too! hahaha. Thanks for always reviewing! I love your reviews, they seriously make my day and I always like waaaaiiiit for them! Once I read it I feel so much better just cuz I know you are always totally honest with me ahaha. You really are the best! Okay...quote time hahhaa..."This sucks...I mean it sucks cuz Peyton's here" "Okay, Peyton here, I like to steal boys but I'm afraid to tell them how I fell" Brooke frowns, "Okay, Peyton here again, have I mentioned that if you love me you're probably gonna die soon...see mothers one and two"..."My name's Rachel and I have red hair!" hahaha that has got to be the funniest car ride ever!! **

**chebelle- I'm glad the last chapter didn't disapoint :) I hope that this one was just as good! You are right, Brooke can whine all she wants but it is good that the public finds out!! So I pretty much loved your review and I'm glad you got a chance to read and review! You are awesome! I hope you loved this chapter and I can't wait to see what you thought about it! Thanks for reviewing!!**

**Kaite (BrOoKe DaViS23)- I'm glad you loved that last chapter! I love Brucas and Brucas babies too! They are like the best aren't they!! I hope you liked this chapter! I think you will :) Thank you for always reviewing! PS I'm still jealous of your brucas birthday party ahahaha.**

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- Wow it sounds like you had a crazy day! I want soup...that sounds good! I'm hungry! Well, I hope you had a good day today! I seriously did nothing, I skipped school (which was only yoga) and went shopping hahaha. So yeah its been a pretty chill day! haha. WEll, I hope you liked this chapter! I think that you will! Thanks for reviewing and I hope to hear from you soon! love ya friend!**

**Brucas3Naley23- I'm glad you loved the last chapter! THings are just getting better and better hahhaa. I hope you liked this one as well! Thanks for reviewing :)**

**Jem (flipflopgal)- I'm glad you liked the last chapter! ANd I'm also glad that you are happy haley stopped hating lucas so much hahaaha. I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for alwasy reviewing!**

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- I'm so glad that you loved the last chapter! Hahaha. I have a feeling you'll like this one even more!! Make sure and tell me what you thought :) thanks for always reviewing!!**

**onetreehillgirl066- hahaha I think thats a good goal...it should be easy to achieve! haha. I like that it totally made me laugh! Your grandma sounds like an amazing person...I bet you will miss her so much. Any woman than can raise her kids on their own amazes me! She sounds like she's funny too and thats a good combo. She sounds amazing and I can tell why you like to tell people about her! I'm glad I could help you vent! Anytime! I hope that this chapter maybe lifted your spirits if only for afew minutes :) hang in there..**

**MarianaTeresia- I'm glad you loved the last chapter! We will be seeing Karen soon :) Thanks for reviewing...I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Kate- hahaha I loved your review 'She's gonna kill him (and fall in love with Brooke and AVerie)' hahaha I seriously loved that! so great! Thanks for the awesome review! I hope you liked this chapter :)**

**brucas333- Soooo...after reading this chapter how much do you love me?? hahhaa I totally laughed at your review 'i stopped there and prayed' hahahhaa. I'm sorry to let you down, but I hope I've made up for it! hheehhee. Thanks for reviewing! Tell me what you thought!!**

* * *


	26. The Secret's In The Telling

**A/N: Alright everyone, here is the next chapter. I'm sorry it took so long, but I was having problems with it! It still isn't as good as I wanted to be, but it wasn't getting any better either so I decided to post it even though I'm not extremely happy with how it turned out. So I hope you guys think its okay. The song in this chapter is 'Kiss On' by Tyler Hilton...I love this song...who am I kidding, I love Tyler Hilton! haha. Enjoy!**_

* * *

_

_So, don't you worry who you're kissing on at midnight_

_The way I see it, I've got you and I both covered_

_The world's to bed, and you and I instead_

_Will secretly enjoy our time_

_So kiss on me tonight_

**Chapter Twenty-Six- The Secret's In The Telling**

Brooke was cleaning the apartment while Averie sat in her bouncy chair. Brooke couldn't stop thinking about the kiss with Lucas, and it was actually making her smile. She wasn't sure that she should be so happy about it, but she couldn't help it. She had a hard time sleeping after he left last night, and she was getting nervous to see him today. She tried her hardest to keep her mind off of the blonde boy, but no matter how many picture frames she dusted off or mirrors she washed, she couldn't help but think of him. Averie made some noises in her swing, and Brooke looked over and smiled as she watched the baby yawn. She loved it when Averie yawned, because her tiny dimples came into view. It made her even more excited to think about when Averie would first smile at her.

Brooke sat down on the floor by Averie and gently ran her fingers along the baby's forehead. She watched as Averie's eyes slowly closed. "I love you baby" Brooke whispered, leaning down and kissing her head. She then ran her fingers in Averie's brown hair and grinned before standing back up. She was glad that Averie was actually content with _not_ being held today so far. She loved to hold her baby, but sometimes it could get stressful when she had other things to do.

Suddenly, Brooke's phone started ringing and she couldn't help but smile when she ran over to it. She picked it up and bit on her lip when she saw Lucas' name on the screen.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, how are you?" Lucas asked, smiling as soon as he heard her voice._

"Good" Brooke smiled, nodding her head. "How are you?"

"_Great" Lucas said with a slight laugh. In fact, he had never felt better. "Do you have plans today?"_

"It depends…" Brooke said with a smirk. She looked up as Chae sleepily walked into the room.

"_Well, you do now" Lucas said slyly. "I have something to show you and Averie…Can I come pick you up in an hour maybe?"_

"Yeah" Brooke smiled, "See you then…"

Brooke flipped her phone shut and smiled as she stared down at it. She then went and sat down by Chae in the living room, still not able to control the smile on her face.

"Why are you so happy? It's too _early_ to be this smiley" Chae said tiredly, waving a finger around in Brooke's face.

"Chae it's nearly 9" Brooke giggled.

"So I'm assuming dinner went well last night, considering you are _still_ smiling" Chae observed, leaning back into the couch and rubbing her eyes.

"It went really well" Brooke said as if her night wasn't a big deal at all. "It was actually pretty crazy, Lucas' friend Rachel…she's actually my old best friend from Jr. High."

"Are you serious? That is so weird!"

"Yeah, tell me about it. It was really good to see her though" Brooke smiled.

"So it was a good night then?" Chae asked, looking at Brooke as she stood in front of her.

"Yeah" Brooke said with a tiny nod, "It was good."

Brooke knew that she should probably tell Chae about her kiss with Lucas. She knew Chae would be ecstatic and jumping for joy…but Brooke just felt like she needed to keep it between her and Lucas for now. Their relationship was already complicated, and she didn't even know what she wanted. She figured after talking to Lucas today she would hopefully feel a little bit better.

"So what are you and Sassy doing today?" Chae asked, standing from the couch and making her way into the kitchen. Brooke sat on a bar stool and Chae started to make some coffee.

"Lucas is coming to get us soon" Brooke said with a sigh, tracing her fingers along a magazine that was sitting on the counter.

Chae leaned her elbows against the counter, her face brightening up. "Ooo Lucas" she said with a sly grin. "And what _is_ the happy little _family_ gonna do?"

Brooke ignored Chae's silly comment as usual, "Lucas said he wants to show us something" she shrugged acting as if she wasn't excited. But really she was excited. Excited and nervous.

"Hmmm" Chae sighed, pursing her lips together and scrunching her eyebrows in thought. "Wonder what that could be."

"I don't know" Brooke said, smiling at Chae. She then stood up from the bar stool, "I'll keep ya updated" she said cheerily before bouncing away. "Come get me if Ave wakes up" Brooke hollered from the hallway.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Chae was in her bedroom getting ready for work while Brooke and Averie hung out in the living room. Brooke was sitting on the couch and supported Averie while as the baby sat on her knees. Brooke smiled and cooed at the baby. Averie was now holding her head up very well on her own and Brooke was very excited for her baby. She was growing more every day and Brooke loved watching this. Averie was starting to show more and more of her personality, and Brooke was now able to distinguish Averie's different cries. Brooke was feeling much more comfortable being a mom, and couldn't imagine her life without Averie.

"You are the cutest baby ever" Brooke said in baby talk, smiling at Averie. She new that Averie recognized her, and could tell this by her little facial expressions. Averie waved her arms around making Brooke laugh. The doorbell rang and Brooke narrowed her eyes, "Is that your daddy?" Brooke questioned as she stood up, holding Averie in one of her arms. Lucas was supposed to be there, but he never rang the doorbell so she didn't know why he'd start now.

She stood on her tippy toes to look through the peep hole, and sure enough Lucas was standing there. A smile creeped onto her face as she saw him, and she was getting even more nervous. She leaned down and kissed Averie on the top of the head before swinging the door open. She smiled as she saw Lucas; she couldn't help but notice how good he looked good in his jeans and tight t-shirt.

"Hey" Lucas smiled, moving quickly towards Brooke. He quickly put a hand on her waist and pushed her against the wall capturing her lips in a kiss. He was careful to keep his body away from hers so that he didn't crush Averie in between them.

Brooke relaxed into the kiss until she remembered they weren't alone. "Lucas" she said, smiling against his mouth. She placed a hand on his chest, gently pushing him away. "Chae's here…"

Lucas stepped back, looking at her confused, "So?" He moved towards again, loving the way her lips felt against his.

"So Lucas Scott" they heard Chae call, Lucas and Brooke quickly stepped away from each other, Brooke wiping at her mouth as they walked into the living room. "What's the big secret?" Brooke and Lucas' face both dropped, thinking she knew something. "Ya know, what are you going to show them?" She rephrased, not understanding why they both looked so shocked.

"Oh" Lucas said with a nod, he took Averie from a smiling Brooke and kissed the baby before cradling her in his arms. "That's a surprise…speaking of, we should get going."

Lucas started putting Averie in her car seat, causing the baby to cry. He hated it when she cried, but he couldn't help but smile at how cute she was when her lips curled out and her eyes squeezed shut. Lucas buckled her in and Brooke handed him a pink binky. He gave it to Averie quickly and she eventually calmed down.

"So maybe you were right giving her that nickname" Brooke said to Chae with a smile.

"Aren't I always right?" Chae asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nick name?" Lucas asked, lifting the car seat as he waited for Brooke to pack her new Coach purse with diapers.

"Sassy" Chae said with a smile, "Averie is so sassy."

Lucas shook his head at Chae, his baby was _not_ sassy.

"She kinda is" Brooke said with a laugh as she saw Lucas contemplate Chae's statement.

Lucas just shrugged knowing that disagreeing with Chae _and_ Brooke was a battle he would lose. "Ready?" he asked Brooke as he waited for her by the door. She nodded and hurried towards him.

"Call me later" Chae told Brooke with a wink.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The ride in the car was stressful. Averie cried most of the time, and Brooke had to sit in the back next to the baby, just to _try_ and calm her down. Brooke was relieved when they finally pulled up in front of Lucas' house. She took Averie out of the car seat and the baby immediately stopped crying.

"Sassy, are you trying to drive Mommy crazy?" Brooke groaned, before leaning down to kiss the now calm baby.

Lucas opened the back door for her and took Averie so she could climb out of the truck. "Are we just _stopping_ here _before_ the surprise?" Brooke asked, narrowing her eyes at Lucas as they walked towards the front door.

"The surprise is _here_" Lucas said with a laugh as he unlocked the door. Brooke gave him a funny look as he pushed the door open, waiting as she walked in.

"So" Brooke started, clapping her hands against her legs. "Where is it?" She was starting to get impatient and excited. She loved surprises, presents, anything of that nature really…

Lucas cradled Averie in one arm and reached for Brooke's hand with the other. He smiled down at her, "I'll show you" he told her softly before leaning down and kissing her gently. "Come on" he said, smiling down at her as he pulled her further into the house. They walked down the hallway where Lucas' bedroom was and stopped in front of the door to the guest room.

Brooke scrunched her face up in confusion and pointed towards the closed door that now had a big 'A' hanging on it. "I've slept in _this_ room before, and it's really not all _that_ exciting" Brooke said with a tint of confusion in her voice. She had no idea what could possibly be behind that door besides the ugly flowered bedspread and horrible wallpaper.

Lucas just smiled down at her, and she could tell that he was holding something in from her. He readjusted Averie on his shoulder when she began making noises and then he rested his free hand on the doorknob. "Ready?"

Brooke raised her eyebrows and nodded, "Oh yeah" she said, unenthusiastically.

Lucas was still smiling at her when he turned the door knob and pushed the door open. He watched as Brooke's eyes widened and her lips curled up.

Brooke brought a hand up to her mouth as she slowly walked into the room. "You did all _this_?" She asked in a mere squeak. Lucas stood in the doorway and watched her as she walked around the room. The walls were now painted, three of them were pink and the fourth was a cream color. There was a big, beautiful, chocolate brown crib pushed up against the cream colored wall and hanging above the crib were huge curly letters that spelled out 'Averie Kendall Scott'. She walked over to the crib and ran her fingers along the dark wood as she glanced at the soft pink bedding that lay inside.

"Do you like it?" Lucas asked, coming up from behind her and putting a hand on her waist.

"Lucas" Brooke gasped, turning around to face him. "It's amazing…" She stepped away from him and continued walking around the room.

She ran her fingers along the tiny clothes that were hanging in the closet, and touched every stuffed animal that was sitting around the room. There was a dresser and a changing table that matched the crib and there was also a big brown and pink rocking chair that looked way to comfortable.

But the furniture wasn't even the best part. All around the room there were pictures hung on the wall. They were mostly in black and white…there were pictures of Averie, of both Lucas and Brooke alone with Averie and pictures of all three of them together. Hanging right above the changing table were three pictures. One was a picture of Averie's tiny feet, and another of her little hands. The third was a picture of Brooke who was holding Averie as she slept and Lucas was standing behind Brooke; they were both staring down at the tiny baby. She hadn't remembered this picture even being taken, but it was definitely becoming one of her favorites.

"How did you do this?" Brooke finally asked, turning around to stare at Lucas who was standing in the middle of the perfect nursery, rocking their perfect baby.

"I've been working on it for a while now" he admitted, a clever smile permanently stuck on his face. "Chae helped me with the pictures…she has so many its _ridiculous_" he told her with a small laugh.

Brooke smiled as she walked towards Lucas, wrapping an arm around his neck, "It's perfect, I love it" she whispered happily into his ear. She could feel hot tears welling up in her eyes, but it wasn't because she was sad, it was actually the opposite. She pulled back from him and placed a hand on Averie's back.

"Good…I just thought she should have a room here…and maybe you two could stay here sometimes" he said, almost nervously as he fingered the zipper on Brooke's jacket.

Brooke bit on her lip as she smiled, reaching her hand up to hold onto his. "Thanks Lucas."

Lucas nodded and walked over to the big crib, gently laying Averie down inside. She was now sleeping and he turned a dial on the baby monitor that was resting in the corner of the crib. After he pulled a light blanket over the baby he slowly walked back towards Brooke and took her hand. He led her out of the nursery and he quietly closed the door behind them.

Brooke looked down at their hands that were locked together. She followed Lucas into the living room and sat down next to him on the couch. She looked up at him biting on her lip as his hand traveled along her leg.

"Can we uhm" Brooke started, her voice quiet. She cleared her throat before starting again, "Can we take this slow…I mean take _us_ slow?" She asked, looking up at him with questioning eyes.

Lucas brought a hand up to her cheek and smiled at her softly. He had that twinkle in his blue eyes that made her heart skip a beat. "Of course we can Pretty Girl…"

She nodded, her eyes meeting his if for only a few seconds. She leaned her head so that her cheek was fully pressed into his palm and she closed her eyes, living in the moment. She opened her eyes again slowly, and reached her hand up to hold onto his. She rested their hands on her leg and his large thumbs began tracing circles on her hands.

"I just don't want us to rush into this…like before" Brooke said slowly, her voice low and almost shaking. She was still unsure about the whole thing, but for once was deciding to listen to her heart instead of her head. "I mean, we skipped the whole 'getting to know you' part and jumped right into the 'hot sex lets make a baby' part" Brooke said, raising her eyebrows and watching as Lucas' smile grew wider.

"I know what you mean" Lucas said with a laugh. "Which is perfect because" he began, squinting his eyes as he gave her hand a light squeeze "I was hoping you would like to go on a date with me on Friday night…"

"A date?" Brooke asked, scrunching up her eyebrows. Lucas nodded, and Brooke relaxed her face, slowly nodding her head as well. "Okay, yeah…that could be fun" she decided, starting to smile.

"So this taking it slow thing…" Lucas said, his voice low and throaty, "It still involves kissing right?"

Brooke smiled, her face lighting up as she scooted closer to him, placing both of her hands on either side of his face, "You better believe it involves kissing" she smiled, slowly bringing her face towards his until finally their lips locked together.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas sat on the couch as Brooke lay with her head in his lap. He slowly ran his fingers through her hair with one hand and rubbed Averie's back with the other as the small baby laid on Brooke.

"So your mom comes home when?" Brooke asked as she looked up at Lucas.

Lucas took a deep breath, tipping his head back before looking down at Brooke. "Two days" he groaned.

"Two days as in Wednesday, two days?" Brooke asked, scrunching her eyebrows and pursing her lips together.

Lucas forced out a strained nod. He was excited for his family to come home; he had missed his mom, dad, and little sister like crazy. He couldn't believe they had been gone for over a year. He had missed out on so much of his baby sisters' life in that year, and he had also changed drastically. He had grown into much more of a man than he ever thought he would be, and he had also fallen in love, not once but twice. He fell in love with Averie, and every time he looked at her, heard her cry, or held her he loved her even more. He had also fallen in love with Brooke, and he was slowly falling deeper and deeper into love with her. He was nervous about telling his mom about Brooke and their baby, but he wasn't ashamed. And he figured she couldn't be too mad at him for being in love…

"Lucas" Brooke said delicately, reaching a hand up to his face and pulling him from his thoughts. "You're brooding…"

"We've always been close, me and my mom" Lucas explained, "I mean, I've always told her everything and I guess its just gonna be hard to tell her how much my life has changed since she has been gone."

Brooke bit on her lip and nodded slowly, "Yeah, I mean you are a pretty big ass for keeping this from her" she said seriously.

"Thanks" Lucas laughed, ruffling her hair before smoothing it back out with his fingers.

"Are you scared?" Brooke asked, still looking up into Lucas' blue eyes.

"Kind of" Lucas said, "But I'm more excited…yeah she's probably gonna freak out, but she'll calm down eventually and I'm sure she'll be excited to meet you and Ave…" Lucas leaned down, waiting until Brooke raised her head and their lips met in the middle.

Brooke lowered her head back into his lap and gently ran her fingers along Averie's back as the baby started to stir. "I'm nervous to meet her" Brooke finally admitted, her voice low and unsure. "She just seems so great, and from how you talk about her she's just this amazing mom and I just hope I can somehow live up to that."

"See, its not you that I worry about…because, she's going to love you" Lucas said, nodding slowly. "It's me…she'll probably kick my ass" Lucas said with a laugh.

"Aww Broody" Brooke giggled, slowly sitting up and hoisting Averie on her shoulder. "You're probably right" she said with a nod as she patted his cheek.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke had decided to just stay the night at Lucas', and had borrowed some sweats and her favorite hoodie of his to sleep in. Lucas was laying in the twin bed in only his boxers claiming that he couldn't sleep in anything else. Brooke had just finished feeding Averie and had insisted that the baby slept in Lucas' room with them. She was excited that her baby finally had a bedroom of her very own, but the thought of Averie being in a whole other bedroom all night just freaked her out way too much.

Brooke peeked in the white bassinet and made sure that Averie was still sleeping soundly. "There's just something about this small bed" Brooke giggled, motioning toward where Lucas was laying as she pulled on the sleeves of the big grey hoodie. She slowly walked towards the bed, and smiled as Lucas held the blankets open for her to climb in.

"I like this bed" Lucas said, pulling her towards them. And he was telling the truth. There was just something about being in that bed with Brooke. For most, the size would be an issue, but for Lucas it just gave him an excuse to be as close to the brunette as possible, and that was something he would never complain about.

Brooke rested her hands against his warm chest, and brought her face closer to hers, "I bet you do" she said, her voice confident and raspy. He wrapped his arms tighter around her and felt her body pressed against his. He finally lowered his lips down on hers. He kissed her softly, breaking apart from her every few seconds until she became impatient. She brought one of her hands to the back of his head and made his lips fall harder onto hers.

"Shh" Lucas instructed, his lips still against hers as she started to giggle.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke got home the next morning and was terribly tired. Averie hadn't slept well the night before, and when Averie actually was sleeping, Lucas was keeping her awake. She hadn't made out with someone so much since she was in high school, and she found it kind of funny. Since she decided that she wanted to take things slow, she had told Lucas no sex, at least for the time being. To her surprise, he was actually really cool by it and responded by telling her he had waited over nine months, what was a little longer?

When Brooke walked into the apartment she was still wearing Lucas' big sweats and a tank top. Averie was wide awake and was happy as long as she was being held. Brooke fell onto the couch, letting Averie lay on her belly against Brooke's chest. Brooke leaned her head back into the soft cushions and closed her eyes while keeping one hand securely around the squirming baby.

"So how was the sleepover?" Chae asked, wiggling her eyebrows as she tried to hide her smile from Brooke. She walked over to the couch and happily took Averie, kissing her on the head as she sat next to Brooke on the couch. "Did you miss me Sassy? I missed you" Chae said to Averie in a high pitched voice. "You look pretty tired...what did you two do last night?"

Brooke slowly opened her eyes and stared over at Chae. "We didn't do anything" Brooke said, her voice tired and raspy. She closed her eyes again, folding her legs up next to her on the couch.

"Brooke, cut the crap…I know something is going on" Chae said, shaking her head as she stood to gently rock Averie.

Brooke's eyes slowly fluttered open again and she sat straight up. "Okay, but don't like go all crazy" Brooke said, rolling her eyes at Chae. "The other night after dinner we kissed…and then kissed last night, _a lot_. But that's really it and we're taking it slow…"

Chae's smile grew wider and she felt like jumping up and down. "I'm so excited for you guys!" She grinned, watching as Brooke's lips slowly curved into a smile as well. "I think it's really great, you two are perfect together" Chae smiled, "I knew you'd find your way back eventually."

Brooke was glad that she told Chae about Lucas. She figured that Chae was the best person to tell, just because she had been rooting for them to get back together this whole time. Brooke told Chae all about the nursery that Lucas had decorated, and Chae admitted that she knew he was up to something when he had asked her for all of the pictures. Brooke told Chae about everything she was feeling when it came to Lucas. She was feeling everything from happy to nervous to scared, and Chae made sure to reassure Brooke that everything would be okay. Brooke also told Chae that Lucas' mom was coming home tomorrow night, and that she was very scared for that. Brooke even asked Chae if she would babysit Averie for a few hours on Friday since Lucas had asked her out on a date. They also discussed the possibility of the date being cancelled on account of Lucas' mom killing him. Brooke was just happy that her life seemed to be getting back on track, and she decided to push the scared feelings to the side for now. She deserved to be happy and she knew that, the only problem was that her being happy involved trusting Lucas a lot.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas spent all day Wednesday cleaning his house. He made sure that his fridge and cupboards were stocked with food, and that Lily's room was exactly how she left it. He was getting more and more nervous by the minute, and had changed his shirt three times. As he paced the floor, he realized that he shouldn't be so nervous. It was his family that loved and cared about him, they had all missed each other so much that he should be excited. Who was he kidding, he was about to drop a huge bombshell on his parents and he should be scared as hell. He wished that Brooke and Averie were there, he always felt so much more at peace with them around, but he knew it wouldn't be fair to Brooke. He ruffled his spiky blonde hair and walked towards the front window. He had heard screeching breaks outside, and as he stared at the yellow taxi cab he knew his family had arrived.

He watched as his dad Keith climbed out of the cab, and walked towards the trunk. Next he saw his little sister stumble out. She was a lot taller than he remembered, and her brown, wavy hair was longer. He saw his mom step out of the cab and walk towards the trunk to help Keith with their luggage. His throat felt scratchy and tight, and he quickly took a deep breath before walking towards the door and pulling it open. Lily looked up from the basketball she had found in the grass as soon as the door clicked open.

"Lil" Lucas grinned, squatting down and holding his arms open.

"Lukey!" the small girl squealed, scrambling up from the ground and running towards her big brother. He caught her in his arms and stood up, spinning her around as he held her against him.

"I missed you so much" he told her as she wrapped her arms even tighter around his neck.

"I missed you too" she giggled, releasing his neck from her arms. "I'm five now" she grinned, holding up all five fingers on one hand.

"You are getting so big" Lucas smiled, slowly setting his sister down on the ground. By then Keith and Karen had walked up to the door and Karen stood back smiling at him.

"My boy" she grinned, looking as if she was about to cry. She stepped towards him and pulled him into a tight hug, digging her face into his shoulder as tears started to spill from her eyes.

"I missed you Ma" he said, hugging his mom back. He hadn't even realized how much he missed her until this exact moment.

Karen pulled away from him and stood back, admiring him. She lifted a hand to his hair, "Your hair is a lot shorter than I remember" she noticed, bringing her hand back down to her side.

"So, how's life without basketball?" Keith asked with a warm smile as he walked towards Lucas, pulling him into a hug.

"Not as boring as you'd think it would be" Lucas laughed.

They all went back inside and started to get settled. Lily was happy to have all of her toys again and was busy brushing her Barbie's hair. Keith and Karen were happily telling Lucas about all of their adventures traveling the world. They told him about all of the little villages they visited and the people that they had met. From the sounds of it, they had a great time but were happy to be home.

They had decided to order a pizza for dinner, and after they ate everyone was pretty tired, especially Lily. She was falling asleep as they sat on the couch watching TV, but every time Karen tried to get her to go to bed, she refused saying she wasn't tired at all.

Keith stood from the couch and walked towards Lucas who was holding a now sleeping Lily. "Come on Lil" Keith said softly, reaching down and picking up the sleeping girl. "Let's go to bed."

She mumbled something, but couldn't keep her eyes open long enough to argue. She laid her head down on Keith's shoulder and they walked out of the room.

"So, how are you?"Karen asked genuinely. "I mean, are you okay with the whole Peyton situation?"

"Yeah" Lucas answered honestly. "It's fine. I never really loved her, and we didn't make each other happy…its better this way."

Karen nodded, smiling as she brought her coffee mug to her lips. After taking a drink she set it back down on the coffee table. "I know you weren't happy with her…it's good to see you smiling again Lucas."

"Well, I have something I need to tell you" Lucas said, figuring he might as well get it out now. He really couldn't wait much longer, he had already waited too long as it was. He waited for a few seconds and Keith walked back into the room, sitting down on the couch next to Karen.

"What is it?" Karen asked, her eyes growing wide. She wasn't sure if she should be worried or not, and by the way Lucas kept bringing his hands up and scratching his head it was looking as if she should be worried.

"What's going on?" Keith asked, gently placing an arm around Karen's shoulders.

"I don't know exactly how to tell you guys this" Lucas said, his voice sounding strained with a hint of nervousness. He now had Keith and Karen's full attention. Karen had scooted so she was now sitting on the edge of the couch and the way she was looking at him with wide eyes shown that she was getting a little freaked out. "I guess there's only one way to tell you, and that's to just say it" Lucas said, taking a deep breath as he leaned down, resting his elbows on his knees. He looked up to face his parents who were waiting for him to continue. "I have a baby."

"You what?" Keith asked, suddenly standing from the couch.

"Peyton and-" Karen started, her eyebrows scrunched up…she was obviously confused.

"Why didn't you tell us you two had a baby…and you just got _divorced_!" Keith said cutting off Karen as he tried to make sense of the situation.

"No" Lucas said, shaking his head in attempt to try and clear things up. "Not me and Peyton. God no" He sighed, thinking of what a nightmare that would have been.

"But if the baby isn't Peyton's" Karen started, trying to put all of the pieces together.

Lucas reached for a frame that was setting on the end table next to him face down. He picked it up and passed it to Karen. "This is Averie, your granddaughter" he watched as Karen and Keith both examined the tiny baby in the picture. "I know this is a lot to take in right now but-"

"But what?" Keith shouted quietly so he wouldn't wake up Lily. "You thought it would be a good idea to cheat on your _wife_, because _this_ baby was obviously conceived _before_ you got divorced."

"Lucas" Karen said quietly, bringing a hand to her mouth. She couldn't believe what was going on, and she didn't even know how to react. It was all too much information, too fast.

"That was a pretty jackass move Lucas" Keith said through gritted teeth, shaking his head.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Karen asked, her voice coming out in a squeak.

"This isn't something I wanted to tell you through e-mail" Lucas said, trying to stay confident. It was pretty obvious that his dad was not happy, and his mom looked so disappointed in him that she was on the verge of tears.

"I can't believe you would do this" Karen said, shaking her head from side to side. "I did _not_ raise you this way."

"No, we sure as hell didn't raise a boy that would cheat on his wife" Keith yelled, his anger seeming to build instead of calm down.

"You two out of all people should've known how unhappy I was" Lucas said, standing from the chair he was sitting in. Now he was starting to feel angry. "And maybe if you'd have been here for the past year, you would have seen how much my life has changed. You may think that I'm a jackass, and yeah, it was a shitty move on my part…but I've dealt my consequences, and I'm trying to make up for what I've done." He shook his head from side to side, a furtive smile appearing on his face. "I don't regret what happened, and you can be as mad as you want, that's fine…but it doesn't change anything."

"I just can't believe you would do something like this" Karen said, her voice still soft and shaky. She looked at the picture once again, tracing her finger over it. "You know better Lucas."

Keith just shook his head and stormed out of the room, retreating to his and Karen's bedroom that Lucas hadn't changed since buying the house.

Lucas sat down next to his mom, and leaned towards her so that he could see the picture as well. "You have every right to be upset with me right now…but I just want you to know that I am _happy_."

"Do we…" Karen started, looking up at Lucas, "Do we know _her_?"

"Averie's mom?" Lucas asked, and Karen confirmed with a nod. "No, you don't know her. Brooke, her name is Brooke. And I really think that you are going to love her…"

"Are you two together?" Karen asked. She was upset with Lucas for making such a stupid mistake, but she was also a mother, and just wanted her child to be happy. And even though her son had made a bad choice, the baby in the picture was still her granddaughter, and that baby only deserved to be loved and wanted.

"It's complicated" Lucas sighed, thinking back at everything that had happened between him and Brooke. "But we're working on things. We are friends though, and we are taking things slow."

Karen looked back down at the picture and slowly started to smile. This was her _granddaughter_. And she was one of the prettiest babies Karen had ever seen.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Lucas asked, watching as his mom smiled at the picture. "Her name is Averie Kendall Scott, and she's a month and a half old. I love her _so_ much mom."

"She has your eyes" Karen said, smiling up at Lucas.

Lucas nodded, and they both sat in silence for a few minutes. "Do you think dad is really mad?" Lucas asked, breaking the somewhat awkward silence.

Karen inhaled and exhaled deeply before responding. "I think he'll calm down. This is just a lot to take in Lucas. It's not a responsible thing that you have done here, and it isn't fair to anyone involved. I realize that you are a grown man and that you will make mistakes…but it isn't okay when your mistake affects lives" Karen said, nodding down towards the picture of Averie.

"I know Ma" Lucas sighed, "But she isn't a mistake. I know the way it happened may have been wrong, but I won't apologize for it. I wouldn't change a thing."

Karen nodded, looking down at the picture once more. "So when do we get to meet these two?" She asked, looking back up at Lucas.

"I'm not sure" Lucas said with a shrug. "I was thinking tomorrow, but we should probably wait till dad calms down…"

"He will Lucas. This is just a big shock for us. We weren't expecting such big changes in your life, and a heads up might have been nice. And your dad just wants the best for you kids. He doesn't want you to mess your life up, but he _does_ want you to be _happy_." Karen reached an arm over to Lucas and pulled him into a hug. "But Lucas" she said, releasing him from the hug. "You really need to grow up. Now that you have a child, I really hope you will start getting your life together. I know I don't know her, but Brooke deserves that from you." She stood from the couch and walked towards the hallway. She stopped before she went any further and turned around to look at Lucas. "And you might want to start by getting a _job_…"

Lucas shook his head with a laugh, "Night Ma" he called. He leaned back into the couch, lacing his fingers together and placing his hands behind his head. That went better than he had expected and he was actually quite pleased. Sure his mom was about to cry, and his dad stormed off in anger…but still, _better_ _than_ _expected_.

_The way I see it, I've got you and I both covered…_

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so there it is! I just need to say, I got 35 reviews for the last chapter, and that is seriously more than I have ever gotten! So really thank you guys soooo much! You guys are seriously amazing and I seriously love every single one of your reviews! There isn't one review that goes unnoticed, and I really am so thankful that you guys take the time to read and review my story because I do spend a lot of time on it! You guys are awesome :) I love you all! XOXOXLindsay!**

**Special Thanks To:**

**lilohb: yaaay for Brucas finally kissing, its about time right? hahaha. I'm glad you liked the Brooke/RAchel twist too :) Thanks so much for always reviewing! You are awesome!!**

**onetreefan: I'm sooo glad you loved the last chapter :) and I'm glad you liked the kiss too! But its not like anyone would ever complain about a Brucas kiss anyways ;) Uummm, I probably won't be bringing Dan into this story, even though I do like his character in the show! So there are no plans for him to come in, but then again you never know haha. Thank you for reviewing!!**

**othfan326- Thank you so much for your review :) it was very sweet. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope you like this one too. I'm glad you loved the Brucas kiss at the end...but like you said, who wouldn't! Sorry it took so long to update, I was having serious issues with this chapter! I dont know what my deal was! Awww, I'm so glad that this is one of your favorite stories :) that really is like one of the best compliments ever so thank you. I hope I won't let you down with it :) Thank you so much for always reviewing. They are highly appreciated!!**

**erika- I'm sorry you were having such a crappy day when you reviewed! I was totally laughing at the 'Clean teens' comment! So yeah, chocolate therapy is seriously amazing...I like am obsessed with it! And you are right, it is sooo better than drugs! hahaha okay so the whole 'lucas whispering to brooke' thing, i really didn't have anything specific in mind that he whispered to her, I decided to leave it open to your guys' imaginations! So yeah hahaha. Oh and yeah, Rachel and Haley know each other because they all went to school together until Rachel moved. I'm glad you were happy with the Brucas Kiss! And you are soo right, knowing them it would be sooner hehhee. So yeah, I loved your review as always, thank you soo much for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**reina123- Thank you for the review! I am glad you were happy to see Rachel and Mouth! I hope you liked this chapter :)**

**Jen (courtneylovesjason)- hahaha here we go! So yeah, you havent updated your story in at least like 2.537 years. So maybe you should just get on that okay?? hahaha so I always love your reviews, I especially love that you thought 'that little hooker, i love her' when you saw that i had updated last time! hahaha thats priceless...love it! Thanks for throwing in the 'breyton' in your review hahahaha you so would! whore! I like breyton too, when peyton isn't stabbing brooke in the back from the front and not just being a whiney ass...okay so lets move on from that subject shall we hahaha. Your reviews seriously crack me up...and so what if you were right that they would say its a mistake...obviously it was...so go read the chapter now so that you can hate me for breaking brucas up again! love you doll!**

**broodyprettygirl- hahaha i know brooke has like tons of friends and lucas has like none...i really need to give him some friends huh hahaha. thats funny. So I'm glad that you liked the chapter, and I hope you liked this one as well! Thanks so much for reviewing! I loved it!! **

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)- Hey twin! Hahaha, you really like are my twin...I think like some 'Parent Trap' mumbo jumbo happened and we were like separated hahahaa. Okay, that was seriously sooo random! hahah you would see the whole Brooke/Rachel knowing each other coming! Stop being a mind reader, I mean a few people were shocked haha. I'm still cracking up from your review, its making my stomach hurt a little bit hahahaa. I'm glad you LOVED the kiss because you know what? I aim to please! haha. I seriously love you! Hahah, I hope you like this chapter even though it sucks ass! I'm pretty sure I won't be surprising you with anything in it ahhahaha. Whatever! Thanks for always reviewing, you are the beesssst!**

**OTHbrucas4ever- Hahaha, I loved your review! You were so like upbeat or something! haha. Thanks so much for reviewing! I loved it! I hope you like this chapter too!!**

**onetreehillgirl066- YAAAAY!! You didn't get the first review! I'm so proud of you! Mission accomplished :)...I'm sad to hear about your grandma :( I seriously like started frowning when I read that she passed away. I'm glad that it was like a good chapter, at least I updated in good timing. So your review totally had me laughing...and then haley would go all tutorgirl on her ass hahahhaa. I was like dying when i read that. You are too funny. Anyways, lets just say I loved your review and I really liked the ideas too haha. Very creative! So I hope you liked this chapter, and thanks for always reviewing!**

**bella- I'm glad you loved the last chapter!! yaaay that means I'm doing good haha. I'm glad you liked the kiss and Rachel and Mouth coming into the story! They will be popping up here and there! Thanks for always reviewing, I really do like to hear what you have to say! Thanks so much and I hope you enjoyed this update!**

**brucas333- hahaha I LOVED your review! it was great! I'm so glad that the last chapter made you so happy! ahhaa. I was hoping it would have that effect! haha. Thanks so much for your happy upbeat reviews! haha. I hope you like this chapter!**

**Jem (flipflopgal)- I'm so glad that the last chapter got you all excited hahaha. I'm happy that you were excited for the Brucas kiss! I mean I figured you would be! So yeah, I'm soo glad that you loved the last chapter, and I hope you like this one too! Thanks for always reviewing :)**

**Christie (sweetchristie03)- Thank you soo much for the review! And you are right about people eventually finding out about Averie and Brooke and everything! haha. I'm also happy that you were happy for the kiss! I hope you liked this chapter, and thank you for always reviewing :)**

**B.P.Davis- hahaha I loved your review! I'm so glad that you loved the last chapter! haha. Thanks for reviewing!**

**IamCaroline- hhaha I'm so glad you didn't like the last chapter but actually loved it! That is awesome! And the Brucas kiss was totally long awaited and anticiapted! And I agree, I love Rachel and Brooke's friendship! I like it cuz they aren't like fake with each other, and I feel thats how Peyton is with Brooke a lot in the show! With Brooke and Rachel it just is how it is and thats it! haaha if that makes sense lol. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**chebelle- hahaha I need my Brucas fix too, and it sucks that we can't get it on the show! But Lucas doesn't even deserve Brooke right now on the show anyways, so yes, we must get our fix from FF. haha. I'm glad you loved the brucas kiss :) I thought you would! Anyways, I'm so glad that you just loved the whole chapter :) I mean, thats what I was going for, and I hope you like this chapter too! Thanks so much for always reviewing! I always look forward to your reviews!**

**BrucasNaleyluvr- hahaha F-up Peyton...thats like the best name for her, it just works on so many different levels! love it! haha I loved your review and your crazy rhymes, that was totally entertaining! Well, thanks for always reviewing! sorry this chapter sucks so bad! Seeing as I'm talking to you now, there isn't a whole lot to say hahhaa. Hope you like this chapter!**

**Kate- I'm so glad that you liked the chapter! And you are right, a whole lot happened hahaha. I'm glad that the Brucas kiss was worht the wait, seeing as it pretty much took forever! Thanks for being patient though :) I hope you like this chapter, and thanks a million for reviewing!**

**dolcegrazia- I'm glad that you liked the last chapter! I hope you like this one too! Thanks for always reviewing :)**

**brucas3- I'm so glad that you loved the last chapter and that it made you happy! that is totally my goal so it worked! yaaay. I'm glad that you liked that rachel and brooke are friends, and yaaay for Brucas finally kissing! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter as well!!**

**Katherine- Your reviews are always just like plain amazing! haha. Seriuosly, I just like loooove them! hhahaa I must agree with you that Peytons presence is a spirit killer...sometimes watching her makes me feel dumber too! So not a good feeling! hahaha. I love that we totally agree on that! I'm so glad you loved the last chapter! Which is a good thing since I really do not like this one at all! I love that you love all of the little Averie details! It like makes me happy, because I'm pretty sure you are one of the only people that mentions them! so i love it! I'm glad i surprised you with the whole Rachel/Brooke thing! I was pretty excited just thinking about that surprise like before I wrote it haha. I'm glad that you liked the Brucas kiss too...I mean I figured you would but still! So I hope you like this chapter! Its not really my favorite, but I hope its not as bad as I think it is hahha. But seriously, thank you for always reviewing! They are always like my favorite!**

**brucas224- hahhaa well I am so glad that you loved the last chapter! More brucas, averie and chae to come, so you should be happy haha. Thanks for reviewing!**

**MarianaTeresia- Hahaha yes, they kissed! haha. I'm glad you loved that chapter! Thanks for reviewing!!**

**chasitybsp- I'm so glad you liked that chapter title! I seriously was sooo excited for it! So i am so glad you mentioned it! Im so happy that you are happy with the way the whole night went and the kiss at the end! Sorry I took so long with this chapter! I was having issues with it, and it still didn't turn out as good as I hoped it would, but I couldn't keep you guys waiting any longer! Thanks for always reviewing, I love them!**

**brucas2008- I can't believe you liked the last chapter THAT much! thats pretty amazing! hahaha. seriously i was like awww. I'm so glad you loved all of my stories, that is really nice of you! My first one was horrible, but I guess thats pretty expected hahaha. As long as I keep getting better its all good! I just barely watched the library episode lol I'm waaaay behind!! So anyways, thanks so much for always reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter too buddy!**

**M190192- I love new reviewers! I'm so glad you lovedd the end of that chapter! I figured most would haha. I'm so glad that you love this story, and get excited for updates! That totally makes me happy :) I'm also glad that you love Chae! Thats awesome! Yeah, no worries...I can understand you! My cousin is actually living in the netherlands right now and she loooooves it :) Thank you for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter!**

**NYGIRL09- I'm glad you were excited to see Rachel! I love her too! And I have to agree, her and Brooke have a great friendship! Thanks for reviewing!!**

**BrOoKe DaViS23- I'm so glad you loved the last chapter! I love Rachel and Brooke too hahaha, their friendship is just so real, like there is no BSing with them, I love that! hahaha I'm so glad that you loved that chapter, and I figured you would! I hope you like this one too :) Thanks for always reviewing, and I'm sure I'll talk to you soon :)**

**Cass (CheerandBrood23)- hahah yeah I guess you are right...OTH on monday is kinda crappy...I never thought about that before! Yeah, I usually do update in the middle of the night, just cuz I'm crazy and a night owl! But I live in Salt LakeCity, Utah...so there is only a couple hours of a time difference! Thats funny that your town is like Tree Hill...mines not lol. I thought you would like the end of the last chapter :) so did you get your Jonas Brothers tickets?? haha that sounds like a huge adventure! I like them too, well I know like two of their songs lol. I hope you get to go though cuz that would be soo fun! That review was really random, i loved it! hahhaa anyways, thanks for the review, they are always so entertaining! I hope you liked this chapter! Loveyou!!**

**Brucas3Naley23- I'm so glad that you loved the last chapter! I mean, I figured you would love the ending! I'm also happy that you were excited for Brooke and Rachel to have already known each other! Thank you tons for the review :) I loved it! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- I'm so glad you loooooved the last chapter! I knew you would though, because you say it best...brucas equals love! I'm glad that you liked the whole Rachel part too! I was hoping you would! Thank you sooo much for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapt(er too!!**

**Lydia (TutorGrrl)- yes, pucas is yuck! its like gaggy! hahaha. thank you so much for your review, It was very sweet! And I'm glad you like all the Brucas moments, even like the smaller ones! hheehe. Thanks so much for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter too!!**

**Sara (Brucas2006)- Saaaar! You updated today, I'm so excited! I seriously can't wait to read it! I'm just following your lead and updating as well hahaha. But guess what, its totally cool if you are obsessed with this story, cuz I'm obsessed with yours too hahhaa. I really am. I like randomly just start thinking about it, its just a litttle bit weird haha. WTF Ashlee Simpson and Pete are getting married lol. O-kay! Anyways...hhahaha I just loooved your review! They always make me laugh, and that is a good sign! I thought you'd be excited for Rachel making an appearance! hahaa. I just can't write Rachel very well, that's why I havent introduced her sooner! But you write her so well! I love how I just random ramble! hahahahaa I loved the part of your review when you were like chanting brucas and then you were like lindsay! ahhaha like i didn't know! omg I just love you! hahaha. So Yeah, I pretty much loved your review, because you are just way to funny! I can't wait to read your newest chapter! And yeah, I am not happy with this chapter either, it took me forever to write it and i still don't like it so I totally know how you feel! It seriously sucks! I usually write my chapters pretty quickly too so this was like new to me and I didn't like it! Anyways, now I'm just rambling hahaha. but Sar, you are awesome! I seriously love you! BRFF!! :) XOXOX**

**Natalie (iluvmedou)- hahhahaa, now when I type your name I sadly don't sing the Beatles song anymore, I like say it in my head as if I were asking the question lol. hahahaha I loved your review though! I'm glad you like loved the chapter! You are so silly! hahaha freaky smiling person...I liked that, I love it when that happens too, its like so uncontrollable its awesome! hahaha I'm glad you liked the kiss too! And did I get you obsessed with The Beatles?? I really hope so because they are seriously A-MA-ZING! hahaha oh and I'm glad you know how to spell 'do' hahhaha. funny story right there! Well anyways, Thanks for reviewing and I really hope you liked this chapter!!**


	27. Fall For You

**A/N: Okay everyone! Here is the next chapter! Guess what! we hit 600 reviews! I was pretty shocked. You guys seriously are amazing.**_

* * *

_

_Is it true, in that you're always this breathtaking?_

**Chapter Twenty-Seven- Fall For You**

Lucas knocked on the door lightly to Brooke's apartment. He hoped that someone inside was awake, considering it was just before 9 am. He knew that Brooke was usually up feeding Averie around 8, so maybe they would still be up. He heard someone unlocking the door and smiled nervously when Chae opened it.

"There's the 'ucas' to my Brucas" She said with a smile, holding the door open wide enough for him to slip in past her.

Lucas gave her a funny look, not having the slightest clue of what she was talking about. "Is Brooke awake?"

"Nope" Chae said casually as she picked up her purse off of the kitchen counter. She looked over at Lucas and smiled, before looking back down at her purse. She couldn't help but be excited about the new happenings in Brooke and Lucas' love life.

"Where are you going?" Lucas asked, noticing that Chae was ready for the day and it looked as if she was getting ready to leave.

"Work" Chae said plainly. She walked towards the door, and turned around, looking at Lucas with a playful smirk on her face. "You two behave yourselves…" She then bounced out of the door, waving at Lucas from behind.

Lucas locked the door after Chae left and then slowly walked towards Brooke's bedroom. He pushed the door open and saw Brooke lying in her bed sleeping. Averie was sleeping next to her and he walked to the side of the bed where Averie was laying. She was sleeping on her back with both of her tiny fisted hands up next to her face. She had the most peaceful look that Lucas had ever seen with her tiny lips slightly parted, and he couldn't help but smile at _his_ baby. Averie's hair seemed to be getting longer and it stuck out everywhere. She also had the longest dark brown eyelashes that he had ever seen on a baby. He gently picked her up and bounced her lightly as she started to stir. He lifted the baby up to his face and kissed her newly chubby cheeks before walking towards her crib and laying her down inside.

Lucas then walked back towards Brooke's bed and slowly climbed in next to her. She was lying on her side, and he was face to face with her as she slept. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and she started to stir, her eyes slowly fluttering open as he pulled her closer to him.

"Hey" she said sleepily, her voice raspy as her eyes blinked open and shut a few times until she finally focused them on Lucas.

"Good morning baby" Lucas smiled, leaning towards her and kissing her forehead. He then snuggled his face into her shoulder, holding on to her body even tighter with his arms.

"What are you doing here" Brooke giggled, her fingers lightly tapping on his chest.

"I missed you" he said, bringing his face next to hers on the pillow. She smiled at him, her dimples in full show and that made him smile. He leaned towards her and kissed her smiling mouth. "_And_, my family was driving me crazy" Lucas admitted once he released her lips from his.

"Oh yeah" Brooke said, her smile slowly fading. "Did you tell them?" Lucas nodded, his grip tightening on her. "How did it go?"

"Well" Lucas said, squinting his eyes. "My dad is pretty upset with me…he wasn't talking to me at all this morning. And my mom took it better than expected…she almost started to cry, but after that wore off she just asked when she could meet you two" Lucas said, smiling at the last part.

"I'm sorry about your dad" Brooke said sincerely, lifting a hand to his cheek.

"It's okay" Lucas said inaudibly.

"Broody" Brooke frowned, knowing that Lucas was upset about the situation. "Its fine…he'll get over it, you know he will. And in the meantime" Brooke said in her sexy morning voice as her lips curved back into a mischievous smile, "We could" she continued, licking her lips as she trailed a finger up his chest "Kiss" she said quietly before she crashed her lips on to Lucas'. She gripped his face with both of her hands and he responded quickly by sitting up and straddling her. They kissed until Brooke pulled away, breathing heavily as her chest quickly moved up and down. While Brooke caught her breath, Lucas began kissing and sucking on her neck, making her groan. When she couldn't handle it anymore she moved her hands to his face and pulled his lips back to hers. His fingers were now at her waist, slowly trailing up her sides under her small tank top as he kissed her. She ran her fingers all around through his hair pulling his head harder against hers.

"Lucas" Brooke groaned suddenly, detaching her swollen lips from his. But before she could say another word, his lips were back on hers. "Luke" she said once more, this time pushing at his chest. "What…is _that_?" she asked, trying to catch her breath. He looked at her with a confused look until he finally realized that his phone was vibrating in his pocket.

Lucas smiled, reaching down into his pocket and pulling out the silver phone. He lifted it up for Brooke to see and with a smile on his face he asked, "Why did you _like_ it?"

"You are such a perv" She laughed; she could feel her now pale face start to blush. She pushed him off of her as he flipped the phone open and lifted it to his ear.

"Hello" Lucas said almost unhappily into the phone. He climbed off of the bed and held up a finger to Brooke, letting her know he'd be back in a minute.

Brooke smiled as he left the room, and once he was gone she scrambled out of bed. She decided to take this as an opportunity to get herself cleaned up. She quickly walked into the bathroom that was joined to her room and immediately turned on the faucet, splashing some water on her face. After she washed her face, she quickly grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste, quickly moving it around in her mouth as she brushed through her hair with her free hand. She set the brush back down on the counter and finished brushing her teeth just as Lucas walked in.

"Hey" he said, standing behind her and placing his hands on her bare hips.

She stood up from the sink, placing her toothbrush on the counter and pulling at the bottom of her small tank top in order to cover up some skin.

"Who was on the phone?" Brooke asked, as she turned around so she was now facing him.

Lucas sighed deeply, and then leaned forward, resting his forehead on hers. "It was my mom…"

"Mmhmm" she sounded, slinking her arms around his middle. She had forgotten how good it felt just to simply touch him.

"She wants to meet us for lunch. Just her and Lily though since my dad is still _freaking_ out" Lucas explained, his fingers tracing circles on her skin.

Brooke smiled nervously, "Well, I think we should. I mean, it _is_ her granddaughter." Brooke reasoned.

"You sure?" He asked, bringing a hand up to her cheek. She nodded, and he leaned forward, kissing her quickly. "I'll go call her and tell her."

Lucas left the room again, and Brooke followed him out immediately walking into her closet to find the perfect thing to wear.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke walked out of her bedroom to find Lucas and Averie in the living room. She had decided to wear her favorite pair of True Religion jeans, with a pair of tall black boots over them. She had on a simple but cute red tank top that had thick straps and a tie in the back. Her hair was lightly curled and she had gorgeous black dangling earrings in. She just wanted to make sure that she looked good to meet Lucas' mom for the first time.

Brooke wringed her hands together, standing in front of Lucas and Averie. "Do I look okay?" she asked nervously, biting on her lip. Before Lucas could answer she looked over at her baby, "Oh no, you don't actually think she's wearing _that_?"

"What?" Lucas shrugged, looking down at the clothes that he had picked for Averie. They were plush pink sweats and a simple white onesie with a tiny bow on each sleeve. "I think she looks fine."

"Lucas…" Brooke said, raising her eyebrows as she moved quickly towards him, reaching down and taking Averie from his lap. "It's plain..." Brooke shook her head and walked back to her bedroom with Averie. "Daddy just doesn't know does he?" She said to Averie in baby talk.

Brooke laid Averie down on the changing table and immediately undressed her and changed her diaper. She then lifted the naked baby in her arms and walked towards the closet, fingering through Averie's tiny clothes that hung there. It was pretty warm outside so she pulled out a cute pink Ralph Lauren polo dress and a matching pink bow.

"Are you almost ready?" Lucas asked, walking into the room and standing in the doorway as Brooke changed Averie on her changing table.

"Yeah, almost" Brooke said, turning and smiling at him.

They eventually left the house, and went to meet Karen and Lily at a small and simple restaurant in hopes to not be noticed. When they arrived, Averie had fallen asleep in the car seat so Lucas and Brooke decided to leave her in it and just carry the car seat into the restaurant even though it was bulky. As they walked down the sidewalk people would stare at them, obviously thinking they had recognized the blonde guy with the car seat from somewhere. Luckily they made it to the restaurant with no one actually bothering them.

"Don't be nervous" Lucas said with a smile, leaning into Brooke as they walked in through the glass paned doors.

He scanned the restaurant for his mom and sister and he suddenly saw his mom stand from a table and wave her arm above her head. He placed a hand on Brooke's lower back and motioned toward his mom with his head. When they arrived at the table Karen immediately hugged Lucas.

"Mom" Lucas said, smiling as he pulled away from the hug. "This is Brooke. Brooke, this is my mom Karen." Lucas told them, introducing the two as he set the car seat down on the ground.

"It's so good to finally meet you" Karen smiled, surprising Brooke when she pulled her into a hug.

"It's good to meet you too, Lucas has told me all about you" Brooke smiled, sitting down next to Lucas who was now holding Averie.

"Lily" he said with a smile, watching as the little girl stared between Brooke and the baby. "Do you wanna see your new baby niece?" He asked, watching as Lily nodded frantically and scrambled off of her chair, running to Lucas' side. "Remember how I told you about her this morning? This is Averie…and my friend Brooke" Lucas said, smiling at Brooke who just winked back at him in return.

"She's beautiful" Karen finally said, smiling down at the tiny baby who slept in her sons arms. "Can I?" Karen asked, motioning towards the baby. Lucas nodded and handed Averie to his mom. He then lifted Lily into his lap.

"Hi Lily" Brooke said, leaning down and smiling at the little girl. "I like your dress" she said, looking towards the flowered sundress the girl was wearing.

Lily smiled up at Brooke. "It twirls!" she said excitedly, "Want me to show you?"

Brooke smiled genuinely and nodded with excitement. "Absolutely!"

"Okay, watch!" Lily grinned, sliding off of Lucas' lap and spinning in a circle, staring at her dress that poofed out as she turned.

"Wow" Brooke grinned, "That is such a fun dress!"

Lily then skipped over to Brooke and stood in front of her, staring up at her with a smile, "You're pretty" Lily giggled.

"Thanks" Brooke laughed, "You're very pretty too."

Lily smiled and shrugged, and walked back around the table to her chair climbing on it and peeking at the baby her mom was holding.

"I can't believe I'm a grandma" Karen grinned, touching each of Averie's tiny fingers as she smiled down at the baby.

"Well, believe it" Lucas chuckled. He placed a hand on Brooke's leg underneath the table, looking over at her and smiling.

After they had ordered their lunch, Karen and Brooke started to talk and didn't look as if they were about to stop. Lucas was excited that they seemed to be getting along so well, even if it was at his expense at times. He couldn't believe his mom told Brooke about the time he peed on the carpet because he was scared of the toilet. Brooke thought it was funny and wouldn't stop laughing, but he figured they should give him a break…he was only two and that toilet seemed huge!

After they finished eating they stayed at the table just talking. Karen held Averie almost all through lunch, and Lily wouldn't leave Brooke alone. Lucas couldn't believe he hadn't seen his little sister for a year, and she was only interested in Brooke. But he couldn't disagree with Lily; Lucas was even wishing he could be alone with Brooke right now.

"So Brooke" Karen said, smiling across the table. "What do you do? Surely you have to work, unlike _my_ _son_ over there…"

Brooke laughed, looking over at Lucas as he just shook his head and sighed. She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned in towards him, letting him know that it was okay. "Actually Karen" Brooke smiled, "I kind of run my own business…I make clothes and I have a website that I sell them on…its actually really successful, and is getting to be a little too much for me to handle on my own. But I think that's a good thing…"

Lucas stared over at Brooke in shock. He had no idea that she sold clothes on her very own website. He was starting to feel sick to his stomach, how did he not know that?

"Wow," Karen grinned, "That sounds great. I would love to check it out sometime. It sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders."

"Thanks" Brooke smiled unsurely. Her own mother had never even praised her for her work before, and here was this lady that she had only known for a little over an hour and she seemed genuinely proud of her. She was glad that Averie would have at least one amazing grandma, since her mom didn't even know she had a baby. She was too busy in her own glamorous life to even think about her daughter.

"Brooke?" Lily said, looking up from her spot on Brooke's lap.

"Yeah sweetie?"

"Do you love my brother Luke?" Lily asked innocently as she twirled her fingers in Brooke's hair.

"I…uh" Brooke started, looking over at Lucas with a somewhat freaked out expression. He shrugged; she was in this one on her own.

Lily leaned in closer to Brooke, bringing her mouth to Brooke's ear. "Cause I think he loves you" she whispered, pausing to look over at her brother and then turning back to Brooke. "He keeps looking at you with silly eyes…"

Brooke laughed, tickling Lily's sides and making the little girl giggle. "Silly eyes huh?" Brooke said with a laugh while she tickled the little girl.

"Yeaaah" Lily shrieked through her giggles.

"Alright Lil" Lucas said, picking the little girl off of Brooke's lap and placing her on his own. "Let's give Brooke a break; we don't wanna scare her away do we?"

"I'm not scary Luke" Lily said, looking at Lucas like he was crazy. She squirmed until he let her slide off of his lap, "I wanna see the baby anyways!"

"You were this little one time too" Karen told Lily as her daughter walked up to her and the baby.

Lily scrunched her little face up as she stared at the baby. She then looked over at Brooke and Lucas, then back to the baby. "But if Lucas is her daddy, and Brooke is her mommy" Lily started, her tiny eyebrows furrowed in thought, "Then how come Brooke and Avie don't live with Lucas. My mommy and daddy both live with me…"

Karen put a hand on her little girls back and leaned down so she could face her. "Sometimes mommies and daddies just don't live together, and that's okay honey. But they both love Averie very much, and that's all that matters" Karen told her confidently, knowing that there was no use going into detail with a five year old. Lily's smile slowly returned, and she was obviously happy with the answer she got.

Lily watched as Averie's eyes squeezed shut and her mouth fell open, "Uht oh" she cringed as the baby's face scrunched up and loud cries were heard.

"It's okay" Karen laughed, bouncing the baby in attempt to try and calm her. Lucas handed his mom a binky, but Averie wasn't taking it.

"She's probably hungry" Brooke said knowingly, watching as Karen tried to calm the baby.

"We should probably go" Lucas said, standing up and picking up Brooke's bag for her. He then grabbed the car seat, lifting it onto the table.

Karen stood as well, kissing Averie on the head before handing her to Brooke. Averie squirmed around in Brooke's arms, her cries slowly subsiding now that her mom was holding her.

"Thanks for coming today" Karen told Brooke, smiling at her as she hugged her with one arm. "You are an amazing young lady, and I hope my son is smart enough to realize that" she whispered to Brooke as they hugged.

"Thanks so much." Brooke smiled, a little shocked that Karen would say that to her. "It was really good to meet you" Brooke said, giving Karen a strained smile as she tried to calm her baby down.

"We'll talk to you later, I'm gonna go back over to Brooke's" Lucas told his mom as they all began walking out of the restaurant.

"I wanna come!" Lily exclaimed, jumping up and down as she held on to Lucas' hand tightly.

"Maybe Brooke and Averie will come over later tonight" Lucas told his sister who immediately started to pout, unhappy with his response.

"How about you and me go home and we'll make dinner for Lucas and Brooke? It'll be a surprise" Karen said, grinning at the little girl whose smile quickly returned.

Lily scrambled over to Brooke, "Did you hear? You get to come over for dinner! Then I can show you my Barbie's!"

"That sounds like so much fun!" Brooke grinned down at Lily. She was such a cute little girl and Brooke couldn't help but love her.

Lucas and Brooke said bye to Karen and Lily, promising to call them later. They sat in the truck while Brooke fed Averie, knowing the baby wouldn't be able to wait until they got home.

"So, I think you pretty much won them over" Lucas said, smiling over at Brooke.

"Yeah," Brooke smiled, "They are great. Lily is so cute, and your mom is just amazing…"

"I could say the same about you…"

"_Stop_" Brooke laughed, swatting at Lucas with her free hand.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Are you sure your dad is gonna be okay with us coming over?" Brooke asked nervously as they pulled up in front of Lucas' house. Averie was being surprisingly calm in her car seat, but being the sassy baby that she was, that could change in minutes. But Brooke couldn't lie; her sassy and calm mix of an attitude was probably the cutest thing ever.

"It'll be fine Brooke" Lucas said, leaning over and placing a hand on her shoulder. "He's upset with me, not you guys. You didn't do anything wrong" Lucas said, rubbing her shoulder as he tried to make her feel better about the whole situation.

"By not doing anything wrong, you mean me helping you _cheat_ on your _wife_?" Brooke questioned, raising her eyebrow at Lucas.

He laughed lightly and leaned towards her, kissing her softly on the lips. Brooke smiled nervously as Lucas pulled away from her. He put his fingers against her chin, "There's my Cheery" he said as she slowly started smiling at him. "And I talked to my mom earlier, she said he's calmed down a lot and I think he's even excited to meet you and Ave…"

Brooke nodded slowly, and then narrowed her eyes at Lucas, "Don't leave me for a second" She warned, pointing her finger at him in emphasis. She liked his mom and little sister so far, but she wasn't so sure what to think about his dad, and she was definitely not gonna get caught in a corner at he first family dinner with them.

Lucas held his hands up in surrender, "Alright, alright!" He said, laughing slightly.

They climbed out of the car and Brooke waited as Lucas got Averie out of her car seat. He held Averie who was now dressed in polka dotted pajamas against his shoulder and held his free hand out to Brooke. "Ready?" he asked.

Brooke stared at his hand, and slowly linked her fingers in his, "Do I have a choice?" She asked, her face strained.

When they walked into the house they heard little feet running from the hall towards them. "Brooke!" Lily shrieked, running and throwing her arms around Brooke's waist. "You really did come!"

"I told you I was going to didn't I" Brooke said playfully, smiling down at the little girl who just stared up at her and giggled.

"Hey" Karen smiled, stepping out of the kitchen as she dried her hands on a small towel. "I'm glad you two are here, dinner with be ready in about ten minutes."

"Thanks Ma" Lucas smiled, his hand still holding onto Brookes.

"Come see grandma Averie" Karen grinned, walking towards Lucas and immediately taking the baby from him. Karen had definitely warmed up to being a grandmother quickly, and Brooke and Lucas couldn't be happier.

"Thanks for having us over tonight Karen" Brooke said genuinely. It did seem kind of weird though, considering that this wasn't Karen and Keith's house anymore, but it was Lucas'.

"Oh anytime Brooke, you _are_ part of the family now" Karen grinned, stepping towards Brooke and hugging her quickly. "Lily, will you go get your dad, tell him it's almost time for dinner."

"Okay Momma" Lily said, running out of the room, her dark brown hair waving behind her.

"How is he?" Lucas asked nervously, squeezing Brooke's hand.

"He's coming around" Karen said with a nod, she turned to walk towards the kitchen, "How about you two come set the table…"

The three adults walked into the kitchen, and Brooke and Lucas went to work on getting the table ready for dinner.

"You forgot the napkins" Lucas complained to Brooke as they set the table.

"I was on plates" Brooke said with a smirk, "So _you_ forgot the napkins."

"Oh really?" Lucas questioned, raising his eyebrows at Brooke. She stared at him questioningly and when his lips curled into a smile she ducked behind a chair. He moved quickly around the table and grabbed Brooke by the waist, lifting her up over his shoulder.

"Lucas!" She squealed as she laughed. Lucas spun her around and before long they were both laughing.

"So where is this baby I've been hearing so much about?" Keith asked, entering the room, causing Lucas to stop and slowly lowering Brooke back on the ground.

"Hey dad" Lucas said nervously as Brooke ran her fingers through her now messy hair. "This is Brooke. Brooke, meet my dad Keith."

"Hi Keith" Brooke said, smiling timidly, "It's good to meet you, I've heard so much about you."

He reached a hand out to her and shook her hand gently. He smiled at her warmly, "That's funny, because my wife can't seem to stop talking about _you_. I'm glad we can finally meet. Now where's Averie?"

Keith walked out of the dining room and into the kitchen in search of his wife and new granddaughter. Brooke and Lucas stared at each other for a few seconds before Brooke broke out in a big smile. As Lucas watched Brooke smile, he couldn't help but smile himself.

He stepped towards her, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him so that their bodies were pushed together and their faces were inches apart. "See, I told you they'd all love you" he told her as she smiled up at him.

Brooke bit on her lip as she smiled, and Lucas slowly leaned in towards her, kissing her softly. Brooke brought her arms up and placed her hands around his neck, deepening the kiss as she fell closer into him. She smiled against his lips and slowly brought her face away from his. "Your dad was more excited to see me and Ave than you" she said with a smirk.

"Rub it in baby" Lucas said with a laugh, lowering his lips back onto hers again. They hadn't been kissing for very long when they heard a small voice from behind them.

"Eewww" Lily cringed, covering her eyes with her small hands as she stood in front of Brooke and Lucas.

"Hey Lil" Lucas said fretfully as he pulled away from Brooke and she stepped away from him completely.

"Friends don't kiss friends" Lily stated, her tiny hands now placed on her hips. "When Tucker tried to kiss me, mommy said that friends don't kiss friends!" She was now pointing a tiny finger at Brooke and Lucas in a scolding matter.

Brooke looked at Lucas nervously and he just shrugged. Brooke then squatted down so that she was eye level with the little girl. "How about you show me those Barbie's now?" Brooke asked, and Lily nodded eagerly. Brooke stood up and Lily reached for her hand before leading Brooke to her bedroom.

After dinner everyone sat in the living room talking. Throughout the evening Keith became more comfortable with everything, and he was even starting to talk to Lucas again. Lucas was happy that everyone was getting along, and it seemed like Brooke was fitting in with his family perfectly. But he wasn't surprised, she was easy to get along with and it seemed like most people liked her. Lily had become Brooke's shadow in an instant, and Karen thought it was the cutest thing ever. Karen couldn't get enough of baby Averie and was constantly holding her. It was weird for Keith and Karen to come home and be immediate grandparents, but it was slowly becoming normal for them.

"Hey" Brooke said with a smile, walking into the living room with Lily in tow. Karen and Keith were sitting down next to each other on the couch while Averie lay against Karen's shoulder. Lucas was sitting in a large chair next to them and he was telling them about Mouth and Rachel coming back into town. The three became silent as Brooke and Lily entered, and Lily immediately ran to her dad, climbing onto his lap.

"Where did you two run off to?" Lucas asked as Brooke climbed onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Lily wanted to show me all of her favorite dresses" Brooke said smiling at Lucas. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he ran his hands through her silky brown hair.

"I haven't seen you all night," Lucas said, raising an eyebrow at her, "And if I remember correctly _you_ were the one telling _me_ _not_ to leave your side…"

"Shut up" Brooke laughed, swatting at Lucas' chest.

"Well, I think they really like you" he whispered into her ear.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so I know the ending wasn't so great! But I hope you liked it! We had too get meeting the parents out of the way, and from here the story should be moving on pretty quickly. I hope you guys liked this chapter! Coming up next is Brucas' first real date! Thank you to everyone who reads and reviews religiously haha. You guys seriously rock my socks off!! I don't have time to write personal thank you's this time, and I really want to get the chapter out tonight...so just know that I appreciate every single one of your reviews, and I love that you guys take the time to write them! They really help to inspire this story! I was also excited to see some new reviewers :) I will make sure to write thank you's next time! So anyways...thank you...**

**...THANK YOU...**

**onetreehillgirl066**

**Jem (flipflopgal)**

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)**

**reina123**

**lilohb**

**erika**

**Christie (sweetchristie03)**

**TutorGrrl**

**IamCaroline**

**pink5288**

**Sara (brucas2006)**

**othfan326**

**chasitybsp**

**dolcegrazia**

**brucas333**

**chebelle**

**whiters**

**katherine**

**austingirl76**

**BrucasNaleyluvr**

**Natalie (iluvmedou)**

**Mea (carebearxo8)**

**brucas3naley23**

**onetreefan**

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23)**

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)**

**Amy (brucas2008)**

**bella**

**brucas224**

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE**

**OTHbrucas4ever**

**Jen (courtneylovejason)**


	28. Take Me There

**A/N: Alright all of my favorite Readers/Reviewers, here is the next chapter! I'm so sorry that it took so long, I was originally planning to update last sunday, but we had a few family emergencies...but life is slowly returning to normal again! I'm sorry it took so long though, and thank you for being patient! The good news is, I'm almost done with school, I just have one final this coming week and then I will be done, giving me lots of time to write and update during the summer! So thats exciting right? Anyways...the song in this chapter is 'I'll Be' by Edwin McCain. I hope you guys like this chapter, I know it was long awaited...but hey, suspense is good right?? :D**_

* * *

_

_The strands in your eyes_

_That color them wonderful_

_Stop me and steal my breath_

**Chapter Twenty-Eight- Take Me There**

"So…" Chae started, looking down at Averie as she softly tickled the baby's arms. "You and Lucas…you're getting pretty serious huh?" Chae asked as she lay on Brooke's bed with Averie while Brooke got ready for her big date with Lucas.

Brooke looked over at Chae from the bathroom that was connected to her bedroom. She set the makeup brush down that she was holding, "It's just a date" she said plainly, then lifting the brush back up to her cheeks she lightly brushed them with the bronzer.

Chae nodded, "So you are _dating_ then?" She questioned, looking from Averie to Brooke.

"What's with all the questions?" Brooke asked, now picking up a tube of mascara. Chae shrugged and turned her attention back to Averie, leaning her head down and whispering to the little girl. Brooke kept working on her makeup, making sure to keep it classic looking and not too overdone. She was getting nervous for Lucas to come, and she had no idea why. She really had no reason to be nervous…but for some reason she couldn't help it. After she finished her makeup she walked out of the bathroom and sat down on the bed by Chae. She picked up Averie and cradled the tiny baby in her arms.

"So, I'm going to see Jake tomorrow" Chae said, almost plainly. It felt like she hadn't seen him for so long, and was excited to see him again. She was still having trouble being away from him all the time and it made her question their relationship. She didn't know how much longer she was going to be able to do the long distance thing and she wished there was another way. She liked Jake a lot, but she didn't like the feeling of being away from him.

"You are?" Brooke asked confusion evident in her tone. "When did you plan this?"

"Jake called me this morning" Chae explained, sitting up and crossing her legs as she leant back onto the palms of her hands. "It was kind of spur of the moment…"

"Yeah, I'd say" Brooke said with a laugh. She reached her hand out and placed it on Chae's knee, smiling softly at her friend. "I'm happy you get to go see him. I know you guys have been missing each other…"

"It'll be good" Chae agreed with a nod. Her eyes lit up as she smiled at Brooke before speaking, "He actually needs me to help him with a surprise he has for you…"

Brooke narrowed her eyes at Chae, a smirk playing off of her lips. "And the surprise would be?"

Chae laughed before climbing off of the bed, "Can't tell you" she said as she walked towards Brooke's closet. "So, what are you going to wear Brookie-Cookie?"

Brooke groaned as she followed Chae into the closet. "I have no clue" She whined, watching as Chae looked through her clothes. Brooke leaned down, kissing the top of Averie's head. "What should Mommy wear, huh Ave?"

Chae pulled out a tight fitting strapless mini dress and held it out to Brooke. "How about this?" She asked, turning the dress around to examine the back.

Brooke scrunched up her face and shook her head fiercely. "I don't think so…it's too…_tight_."

"If you say so" Chae shrugged, hanging the dress back up in the closet. She didn't know why Brooke was so insecure about her body after having Averie. Chae was actually jealous of it; Brooke's boobs were huge now! She pulled another dress out; it was a black strapless Dolce dress. It was loose fitting, and could be dressed up or down. The material was bunched up at the bust, making it very flattering. It ended right above the knees, so it wasn't _too_ short. "I don't think I've ever even seen you wear this" Chae said with a laugh, she ran her fingers along the soft dress and found a price tag. "You have _way_ too many clothes…but I like this one, I think this is it."

Brooke took the dress from Chae and ran her fingers along the dark fabric. She finally nodded her head and said, "I'll try it." She handed Averie to Chae who went back into Brooke's room and sat on the bed. Brooke walked out a few seconds later now wearing the black dress. The dress hung lightly off of her body, but still managed to make her figure look amazing. Her skin looked golden against the dark material and Chae gave her an approving smile. Brooke bit on her lip, looking down at the dress and back up at Chae. "What do ya think?" She asked nervously, her fingers pulling on the dress to adjust it.

Chae nodded her head quickly, "I love it, I think you should definitely wear that one" Chae brought a finger up to her chin in thought before smiling. "You should wear those new Gucci strappy heels that you just bought, the shiny black ones."

Brooke smiled "Good thinking" she said in agreement, walking back into the closet in search of the shoes. She came out again dressed in a tank top and sweats holding the dress in one hand and the shoes in the other. She went into the bathroom and started to curl her hair in big waves while Chae and Averie kept her company. She had finally finished and was getting nervous because it was almost time for Lucas to arrive.

Brooke took Averie from Chae so that she could feed the baby before she left. After Averie was done eating Brooke burped her and then changed the baby into her pajamas. Brooke quickly changed into her dress before her and Averie met up with Chae in the living room.

"You look gorgeous" Chae gushed, a huge smile on her face.

"Thanks" Brooke said, quickly smiling at Chae before kissing Averie and handing her to her friend. "Okay, so I pumped some breast milk, she should take a bottle for you when she gets hungry again. I'm not sure how long we'll be gone, but it's in the kitchen just in case. You know where all of her stuff is right?"

Chae rolled her eyes at Brooke, "I do live here too ya know" She said with a long, annoyed sigh. Brooke breathed in deeply, obviously trying to calm herself down. "I know you are nervous about leaving her, but she'll be fine…you and Lucas deserve a night out together."

Brooke nodded unsurely, "Yeah, I guess you're right." She sat down on the couch and started putting on her shoes. The doorbell rang and Brooke quickly stood to answer it.

"Brooke" Chae said quickly and waited as Brooke turned around before leaving the room. "This is one of those moments…"

"What?" Brooke asked, not understanding what Chae was getting at.

"When it all changes…you should know, you are the one always talking about these moments when it all changes...this is one of them" Chae said smiling up at her friend as she tickled Averie's tiny feet.

Brooke smiled nervously at Chae and nodded unsurely. She then walked towards the door, checking her appearance in the mirror on the way. She quickly opened the door to find Lucas standing there in a blue button up shirt and black dress pants. He smiled at her before bringing his hand from behind his back, revealing a bouquet of different colored wild flowers.

He held the flowers out to her, "You are beautiful" he said bluntly, as if it was the only thing he was sure of. He couldn't help but stare at her and think about how lucky he was. She left him breathless every time she was in his presence, and at that moment he knew that he would never let her go again. She felt her cheeks blush as she took the flowers from him and he leaned in, placing a hand on her waist and softly kissing her lips.

"You don't look so bad yourself" She smirked, walking into the apartment with Lucas in tow. She went into the kitchen to put the flowers in a vase of water and Lucas walked into the living room.

"So what are you two doing tonight?" Chae asked as she handed Averie to Lucas.

"Oh, ya know" he said with a shrug before turning his attention to his daughter. "Daddy missed you today" he told Averie as he kissed her chubby cheeks.

Brooke picked up her small black Kate Spade bag before heading into the living room. She snuck up behind Lucas, wrapping an arm around his waist as she stood at his side. After running her free hand along Averie's back she looked up at Lucas, "Ready to go?"

After Brooke and Lucas said goodbye to Chae and Averie, they headed out the door. Brooke was a nervous wreck about leaving Averie for over an hour, but as Lucas linked his fingers in between hers she began to feel a little bit better.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas wrapped his arm tightly around Brooke's bare shoulders as they walked down the busy streets of New York. It was getting darker outside, and the sidewalks were crowded with people. The city was alive and filled with noise. There were people rushing around while cars and taxi's honked from the street. Brooke still had moments when she was overwhelmed by the busy city…she wasn't used to this in Tree Hill. She made sure to stay close to Lucas, her hand gripping his tightly as it hung off of her shoulder.

They finally stopped in front of a very nice and busy restaurant. There were tons of people just standing outside in front of it, all of which were dressed very nicely. Lucas removed his arm from Brooke's shoulder, quickly grabbing her hand as he pushed through people until they made it to the door.

"I have a reservation, under Scott" Lucas said clearly to the petite woman that stood at the door.

She checked her list and then smiled up at Lucas, "Right this way" she told them before she led them through the elegant restaurant. "You're waiter will be right with you" she said with a smile before leaving the two at their table.

"Luke" Brooke gasped, her eyes wide as she looked around her, "You didn't have to." This restaurant was nice, and she knew it had to be expensive.

Lucas smiled, reaching across the table for her hand. "I know, but I wanted to. I mean this is our _first_ date and all." He said, his eyes shining as he stared at her.

"Yeah, I guess you _do_ have to make a good impression" She said, narrowing her eyes towards him as she smiled.

After they both ordered their meals and Lucas requested a bottle of wine, they immediately fell into comfortable conversation.

"Chae is going to see Jake tomorrow" Brooke said casually as she twirled the liquid in her glass around. "She's been having such a hard time being away from him, so it'll be really good for her. I mean even he's having a hard time with it."

"So are they pretty serious then?" Lucas asked, thinking it sounded a little bit like his relationship with Brooke.

"I think they are, just without titles. Chae's being all weird about it" Brooke said with a shrug.

"So, that means that you'll have the apartment to yourself this weekend?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow at Brooke as he playfully slid his foot along her bare leg underneath the table.

"That's right Broody Boy" Brooke said, her voice low and raspy as she leant in towards him. She bit on her lip as she trailed her fingers up his arm that was resting on the table. "But you're forgetting something…" she said, tilting her head to the side. "Her name is Averie, and she sleeps in my room" Brooke finished, her voice returning to normal as she brought her hand back to her lap.

Lucas nodded slowly, scooting his chair around the small round table so that he was closer to Brooke's side. He leaned his head down by her ear, "Then I guess we'll have to get creative" he whispered. He sat up facing her again to see Brooke stare at him, her mouth open in shock.

"Hey!" A voice said, snapping both Brooke and Lucas from their thoughts. They looked up to see a guy that was around Lucas' age standing at the table. "You are Lucas Scott…I can't believe you left the Knicks" the guy said, shaking his head as he laughed, obviously thinking that Lucas was an idiot for leaving the team. "I thought you were great though, you really had potential."

"Some things are just more important" Lucas said plainly staring directly at Brooke, not really caring what this guy thought.

The guy looked between Brooke and Lucas, "So, the rumors are true then?"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke and Lucas eventually finished their dinner and left the crowded expensive restaurant. They were only interrupted three times, and according to Lucas that was pretty good. He was used to being stopped more than that, whether he was at a restaurant or a grocery store. Brooke didn't know how he could handle it; she would hate her life to be out there for everyone to see. Lucas had promised to take her somewhere quieter now, and Brooke was excited when they walked down the street to Central Park. She had only been there a few other times, but right now, there with Lucas it just seemed different. Romantic even.

They held hands as they walked through the park. Surprisingly, there weren't many people there. Brooke figured that everyone had better things to do on a Friday night in New York City. They approached a park bench that was surrounded by green trees, and sat down.

Lucas wrapped an arm around Brooke and pulled her towards him. She rested her head onto his shoulder, and after a few minutes of silence Lucas spoke up. "So, I was thinking, maybe tonight we should get to know each other better. I know I could have planned an awesome _steal-your-breath-away_ kind of date…but I thought this might be better."

Brooke sat up so that she could look Lucas in the eyes. "What do you mean get to know each other better?" She asked, not really knowing what he was getting at.

"Well," Lucas said, smiling at her as he trailed his fingers softly up and down her bare arms. "Yesterday you told my mom how you have your own business, a pretty great business from the sounds of it…and I didn't even know about that. Shouldn't I know that about the girl I love?"

"The girl you _love_?" Brooke questioned, smiling cheerfully up at him.

Lucas smiled nervously, "Yeah" he said plainly with a shrug. Brooke smiled at him before resting her head back onto his shoulder. He hugged her tighter against him before he started to talk again. "I always come here to think, this is my bench. Whenever I have a big decision to make, this is probably where you'll find me. I also come here to clear my mind. All through High School I would just escape to this park, to this bench, and just sit and think, or read a book. Something about this place just calms me."

"So I take it this is a great brooding spot?" Brooke questioned a little sarcastically. Lucas mumbled a yes, and Brooke sat up again, biting on her lip uneasily before she spoke. She narrowed her eyes at him, almost as if what she was about to say would make her tear up. "Will you tell me about your family? What was it like growing up with your parents? They just seem so…_great_."

Lucas reached over for her hand, entwining his fingers within hers. "My mom got pregnant right out of High School. I think it was a big shock, and I guess my dad freaked out a little bit. But it didn't last long, and they eventually got their act together. My dad gave up basketball in college so that he could be around more."

"He gave up basketball for his family?" Brooke asked, looking up at him with the same anxious expression. She could tell that Lucas was a lot like his dad.

"Yeah" Lucas said, smiling softly at her. "I think sometimes he wishes he would've kept playing, but he knew what was important. My childhood was pretty normal I guess. Both of my parents were always there for me, and most of the time we got along."

"How come it took them so long to have Lily?"

"I don't think they were planning to have more kids, Lily came as a surprise. It was my first year in college, and they came to visit me out of the blue. My mom told me she was pregnant, and they were actually ecstatic about it. I was kind of upset at first, but got over it eventually. Now, I couldn't imagine life without her."

"She's great Lucas" Brooke said smiling sadly before leaning into him. He immediately wrapped both of his arms around her and she rested her head against his chest. "Your whole family is great…" Her voice trailed off at the end, growing quieter with each word.

"What about you?" Lucas asked, "Your parents _must_ have been great, because you are _amazing_" he told her honestly as he hugged her small body against his larger one.

"My parents were never around" Brooke said sadly. "I mean, I doubt they even know my middle name. I was pretty much raised by nannies, and Haley's parents. When I met Haley in third grade, they kind of just took me in. But it wasn't the same. It's almost as if my mom was ashamed of me, if she had a daughter, it just made her look older. And that's the last thing she wanted" Brooke said bitterly. "The nannies came and went; I didn't have time to get attached. When I turned 13 they stopped coming completely. But that's when the gold cards started arriving. My parents threw money at me like it was no ones business."

Lucas was pretty much shocked. He knew that Brooke didn't have a great relationship with her parents, but he didn't realize how bad it actually was. "Brooke-" he started before she cut him off.

"Its okay" she said, her voice returning to normal, "I mean I'm here today aren't I?" She said with a smirk. She hated to talk about her past, or even think about it. Even though she acted like she was unfazed by it, she couldn't help but hurt. Brooke had always craved her parent's attention, but she had never gotten it. She usually didn't tell people about her family, but with Lucas it just felt okay. Deciding that she didn't want to ruin her date with Lucas, she pushed those thoughts from her mind completely. "Tell me more about your mom" she said, almost pleading with him.

"You see this scar?" Lucas said, waiting as Brooke sat up to look at him. He parted his hair slightly at the front, and Brooke saw a small pink line. Letting his hair fall back into place he continued. "I got it when my parents bought their first house. It was small, and had a one car garage. But it was one of those old garages, where it pulls straight out and then pushes back…My mom was so excited to be able to park her car in a real garage. I was only about three at the time, and I was standing next to her as she began to open the garage door. But when she lifted it up, it hit me square in the forehead" Lucas said with a laugh as Brooke's eyes grew big. "There was blood running down my face and I was screaming like a maniac. I remember my mom bursting into tears, which freaked me out so I just cried louder. My dad was at work, so one of the neighbors drove us to the emergency room. By the time we got there I had calmed down, but my mom was a mess. I got 7 stitches and was fine, but I'm not sure my mom ever recovered" Lucas said with a laugh.

"Your poor mom!" Brooke gasped, lifting her hand to his head, her fingers softly touching the small scar. They laughed about the scar that was left on Lucas' head and permanently in his moms mind. "So did you play basketball all through high school and college?"

"Yeah" Lucas said with a laugh, thinking it was probably the most obvious thing in the world. "In college I loved playing ball, it was so competitive and it felt so good being out there with a riled up crowd. Just knowing how that one game could lift so many people was amazing."

"So did you graduate before you went and played for the Knicks?"

"Yeah, I got my bachelors degree in Journal Broadcasting, and I got my associates in English Literature. I love to write almost as much as I love basketball, and now I finally have the time to pursue it." Lucas said happily.

"So do you think that's what you are gonna do?" Brooke asked, looking up into his eyes, "Write?"

"That's what I'd like to do…but I gotta find a way to do it to where I can actually make money" Lucas told her, raising his eyebrows. Brooke nodded, leaning her head down into his shoulder. He slowly trailed his fingers lightly up and down her bare arm. "I've actually started writing a book."

"Oh yeah?" Brooke questioned, her head still lying on his shoulder. "What's it about?"

"Well," Lucas sighed, his fingers still slowly moving along her arm, "It's kind of about my life. About finding my way through basketball." Brooke nodded and they both sat silent for a few minutes. "I guess it's kind of about you" Lucas said quietly, breaking the silence.

Brooke sat up and looked towards Lucas, narrowing her eyes at him. "Oh is it?" Brooke said sarcastically as she laughed.

"I'm serious" Lucas said, smiling down at her. "Without basketball, I never would've met you" he said with a shrug. Lucas placed a hand on her cheek and slowly moved towards her, his lips softly meeting hers.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"So, now that I've told you all about me" Lucas said, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at Brooke, "I want to know all about _you_." He said, smiling at her as they walked through the park. He kept his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders as they walked.

Brooke bit her lip, loosening her arms that were wrapped around Luke's middle. She looked up at him and smiled as he gently moved a piece of hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ear. "How about we go back to my apartment and I'll show you" Brooke told him. She loved hearing all about his life and his family growing up, but she was nervous to tell him about hers. She was never really open with people when it came to her life; it was easier for her to just put on a happy front. Not to mention, she wasn't exactly proud of her past.

They headed towards Lucas' truck. He held the door open for Brooke and grabbed onto her hand as she climbed inside. Lucas got into the drivers seat and after buckling his seatbelt he drove off towards Brooke's apartment. Brooke quietly looked out of the window as Lucas kept his eyes on the road.

He looked over at her and smiled, watching as she twirled her hair around her fingers. "I know it wasn't much…but thanks for coming tonight" he said happily, breaking the silence between the two.

Brooke looked over at him, snapped out of her thoughts. She dropped her hair out of her fingers and smiled at him. "It was really great Lucas" she said honestly, reaching across the seat for his hand. "I should be thanking you." Lucas smiled at her and squeezed her hand lightly before looking back at the road. "How do you think Ave is doing?"

"You should know" Lucas said with a laugh, "I saw you texting Chae under the table while we were at dinner."

"Only a couple times" Brooke stated, rolling her eyes. Lucas looked over at her with raised eyebrows. "So maybe more than a _couple_ times…I was worried! Sue me!"

"I know you are dying to check your phone" Lucas said matter of factly, smiling over at the anxious brunette. Brooke looked over at him, biting her lip. She finally exhaled deeply and released his hand, digging around her bag for her cell phone.

"Gotcha!" She grinned triumphantly once she had located the small silver phone, lifting it in the air and waving it around victoriously. She opened it and punched some buttons, "This message was from a half hour ago, Chae said she drank a bottle and is sleeping."

"Good" Lucas grinned, "I told you she'd be fine. Anyways, I think you should've been more worried about Chae then Averie…"

They finally arrived at Brooke's apartment building, and Lucas was in awe at how quickly Brooke moved down the street in what he thought had to have been the tallest heels _ever_. Lucas watched Brooke as she tapped her fingers together anxiously while they stepped into the elevator and waited for the doors to close. She couldn't wait to see her baby, and Lucas found it cute. He stepped towards her, grabbing her hands to stop them from tapping.

"Calm down" he said, laughing lightly. He leaned down; pressing his lips against hers as he slowly moved her towards the wall in the elevator. Brooke relaxed into him, her hands moving up his chest to rest behind his neck. Lucas ran his tongue along her lips, smiling as she parted them. Brooke moaned against his mouth, leaning further back into the wall, glad that it was there to support her. Lucas' hands roamed all along her sides as he deepened the kiss even further. Just when Brooke pulled his head closer to hers; causing his lips to crash even harder against hers they heard a loud ding, signaling that they had reached their floor.

Lucas moaned dejectedly as he stepped away from Brooke. She smiled up at him, her cheeks flushed and her hazel eyes sparkling. He reached a hand up to her cheek and softly touched it before her smile grew and she slid past him, practically running towards her apartment. Lucas shook his head and laughed before following that crazy girl that had stolen his heart without him even knowing it.

Brooke fumbled with her keys, and finally unlocked the apartment. She walked inside, not bothering to wait for Lucas who was behind her. "Where's my baby?" She questioned to no one in particular as she dropped her bag on the ground and walked into the living room. Lucas walked behind her, closing the front door and locking it and then picking up her purse and setting it on the counter.

Brooke walked into her bedroom after checking the living room and stopped in front of Lucas. "They aren't in there either…it's really quiet in here" Brooke said, scrunching up her face. She tapped her finger against her chin and thought for a minute. She then smiled and walked towards Chae's room, slowly opening the door. She poked her head inside and motioned for Lucas to come over there. "Aww" Brooke smiled, putting her hand up to her heart as she moved aside so that Lucas could see.

"She is out like a light" Lucas whispered. Chae and Averie were both lying on Chae's big bed, sound asleep. Averie looked so tiny and precious, laying there wrapped up like a burrito in a light yellow blanket. Her brown hair was sticking up all over and her mouth was slowly moving as she sucked on a white binky. Brooke started to move towards her and Lucas reached his hand out to stop her. "Let her sleep, she'll be up soon anyways" He said quietly so that they wouldn't wake the two sleeping girls up. Brooke looked at him unsurely and he smiled at her. She finally nodded her head and followed him out of the bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind them.

"I'm just gonna go change" Brooke said before patting Lucas on the chest and walking towards her bedroom. She came out a few minutes later with a pair of sweats on, a tank top and her hair piled on top of her head. She walked towards Lucas who was sitting on the couch and flipping through a magazine that Chae had bought earlier that day. He shook his head as he noticed a small picture of Brooke, Averie and himself from when they met his mom for lunch. Brooke reached for his hand, and he looked up smiling at how amazing she looked even in pajamas. "Come here" Brooke said softly, as she pulled him off of the couch.

Lucas dropped the magazine onto the couch and obediently followed Brooke, her fingers still holding lightly onto his. They were both silent as they walked into her room, and he couldn't help but smile when he saw her bed covered with different dresses and accessories.

"You wanted to know more about me" Brooke said, sounding a little bit nervous as she stood in front of him. "And I want you to know more about me….maybe not _everything_ though" She said, laughing lightly. "Sit down" Brooke told him, lightly pushing his chest until he fell into a seated position on her bed.

Lucas waited patiently as he watched Brooke disappear into her walk-in closet. He smiled as she reemerged carrying a large black book and a dark purple photo album. She walked towards him, sitting down next to him on the bed. She set the books down next to her and breathed deeply as she looked down at her hands.

"I guess I was kind of lost when I was growing up" Brooke said, still looking down at her hands. "I tried to find myself in different ways….mainly guys and alcohol" she said with a light laugh. "When I was in High School I met Kade. He was older than me and all my friends and he liked me. I held onto that, you know the feeling of being wanted" she said nervously, looking up at Lucas who she could feel staring at her. He placed his hand on her lower back, rubbing it slowly and urging her to continue. "But none of it was enough. I didn't do great in school…probably because I'd rather party than study. But I've always loved fashion. Everything about it…all of the details, and the colors and the fabrics. How much thought and work that went into one simple dress. It's so much more than just clothes. I started to sketch and sew and my friends liked what I made. Haley actually helped me start a website where I started to sell my clothes."

"So this is how it all began" Lucas said with a nod, finally starting to understand.

"Yeah. And it did pretty well. I was so excited, and I couldn't wait to tell my mom. I thought that having a somewhat successful internet business at 17 would be enough to make her proud. I emailed her and told her all about it, I even sent her the link to my website. I waited for over a week for her to email me back, and I was so excited. I had never been more excited over anything. I just _knew_ that my mom was going to be _proud_ of me." Brooke suddenly stopped talking and directed her eyes anywhere but at Lucas. She looked up, doing anything to stop the tears from welling up in her eyes.

"It's okay" Lucas said softly as he leaned in towards her ear. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer towards him to reassure her.

"She finally emailed me back" Brooke said, her voice losing its confidence. "She said that I needed to grow up, get my head out of the clouds and stop with the ridiculous dreams." Brooke shrugged her shoulder, lifting a hand to her cheeks to wipe a tear that had strayed.

Lucas wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her into a hug. She rested her head on his chest, and he felt his heart breaking for her. He had always had the love and support of both of his parents, he had no idea how it would be to crave it like Brooke always had. "Brooke…baby…" he whispered to her as he ran his fingers along her back. "She obviously doesn't know what she's talking about"

Brooke sniffled and finally pulled away from him. She wiped the last few tears away from her cheeks and reached for the black book. "You want to know more about me? This is my life…these are my sketches. They saved me…" Brooke said as she handed Lucas the black book.

"I don't know much about clothes" Lucas admitted as he flipped through the pages, stopping to examine each piece of clothing, "But these are amazing." He told her in awe.

"I don't know what would've happened to me if I wouldn't have had this" She told him, motioning towards the book filled with drawings. "After I got that email, it was my goal to prove her wrong. Even today, she won't acknowledge the things that I've done."

"Well, she is missing out Brooke" Lucas said confidently. "She is missing out on knowing such a great and talented person."

Brooke just shrugged and reached for the dark purple photo album. She waited for Lucas to finish looking through her sketches before she handed it to him. She leaned in towards him as he flipped through the pages. The first few pages were of her as a baby, and toddler. There weren't many pictures of her when she was young, and there was only one picture of her with her parents, but Lucas figured it didn't count since it was taken right after she was born. They laughed as they reached the scrapbooked pages from elementary school.

"Look at Haley's hair" Brooke giggled, pointing to the little girl with strawberry blonde hair. Her bangs were ratted out and poofy, and she had on mis-matched clothes.

"That's Haley?" Lucas asked in shock as he looked at the picture of the two little kids. In every picture Brooke was dressed nicely and her hair was always done. He figured that it was thanks to the nannies, but she just didn't look like a kid.

"Haley's mom gave me all of these pictures" Brooke explained as they looked through the pages, watching as Haley and Brooke grew up. "If it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't have any!"

"Whoa, is that Rachel?" Lucas asked, pointing to a picture of Brooke and a redhead.

"Yeah that would be her" Brooke laughed, looking at the self portrait that they had taken. They were both wearing way too much make-up, especially for being 13. She looked up at Lucas and saw the shocked look on his face as he looked at the pictures of Brooke and Rachel. In most of them they were at parties and wearing little clothing. "We were a little crazy" Brooke said with a nervous laugh.

"I see that" Lucas nodded, quickly flipping the pages. "So do you still have that uniform?" Lucas asked as he looked at the pictures of Brooke in her cheerleading uniform. "I've always had a thing for cheerleaders" he said slyly, raising an eyebrow at Brooke.

"Lucas!" Brooke laughed, slapping his arm. "I don't have it, and even if I did its not like I would fit into it!"

They continued looking through the album, both of them getting uncomfortable when there were pictures of her and Kade. It was amazing to both of them how different their lives were. As Lucas looked at the pictures of Brooke, he was amazed to see how much she had grown. She wasn't the insecure party girl that she once was anymore, and it actually made him proud of her. He felt like she had overcome so much in her life, and he really felt like he knew her a lot better now.

He closed the book and set it down on the bed next to him. Brooke had gotten quiet and was obviously thinking about something. Lucas reached his hand up to her cheek, making her look up at him. "You aren't that girl anymore Brooke" he told her, staring into her eyes. "You are loving, and strong. You are an amazing mom and a great person."

Brooke couldn't help but not believe Lucas' words. Every time she looked through her photo album she just remembered all of the put downs, all of the partying, and feeling lost and alone. But listening to Lucas now, and watching as he stared at her like she was the only person on earth, she knew that he believed in her. She hesitated for a second before finally pressing her lips against his. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as they kissed. She let out all of her emotions into that kiss, all of the hurt and the pain, even the happiness and fear. For once she felt like she meant something, even if it was just to one person. And she couldn't help but feel good.

They lay in her bed, kissing for what seemed like hours, just enjoying being with each other. They were interrupted by a light tapping on the door, and Brooke sat up to see Chae standing in the doorway holding Averie.

"I think she's hungry" Chae said with a yawn, lightly bouncing the baby. Chae rubbed her eyes with her free hand and then opened them wide, taking in the scene of Brooke and Lucas for the first time. "So I guess your date went well…then again, you both have clothes on still."

Brooke rolled her eyes, climbing off the bed and walking towards Chae. "Thanks for that" Brooke told her friend as she lifted Averie into her arms. Brooke kissed the baby's forehead, "Was she okay?"

"Yeah, she was fine…I'm gonna go back to bed, but if you want to bring her back in my room so you two can get back to it, then that's fine" Chae said winking at Brooke before leaving the room.

"God she's annoying" Brooke groaned, walking back towards the bed and sitting down on it with Averie. Lucas stood from the bed and walked over to Averie's crib, reaching in for a flowered blanket and then handing it to Brooke. "Thanks" she said appreciatively as she covered herself so she could feed the baby.

Lucas hesitated for a minute and then stepped towards Brooke. He rested a hand on Averie's back and leaned down; catching Brooke by surprise as he softly kissed her lips. "Call me in the morning?" he questioned as he started to walk towards the door.

"Are you leaving?" Brooke asked, scrunching up her face.

"Well I was-"

"Stay" Brooke demanded, cutting him off. "Will you stay?" This time her voice sounded unsure, and it made him think of the Brooke from the pictures.

Lucas walked back towards her, climbing onto the bed next to her. "Of course I'll stay" he said simply, actually excited that she had asked him to. They sat together and talked about Averie as Brooke fed her.

After the baby finished eating Lucas offered to burp her. He left the room with Averie and bounced and rocked her until she fell asleep. She was pretty fussy and wasn't burping and it took him a while to finally calm her down. Once she was finally asleep he walked back into Brooke's room and carefully carried her towards her crib. He kissed her head and gently laid her down in her crib, covering the baby with her favorite pink blanket. He turned back towards Brooke, and smiled as he saw that she had already fallen asleep.

Lucas picked up the photo album and Brooke's book of sketches and took them back into her closet. He wasn't sure where she kept the books, but he found a spot for them on the top shelf. As he pushed the books onto the shelf, something fell onto the ground. He bent over and looked under the dresses that were hanging in the closet. He reached down and found what had fallen…a purple monkey. He picked it up and smiled, immediately recognizing the monkey. It was in the picture of Brooke with her parents from when she was born. It looked the same which was surprising since Brooke had kept it all of these years. He would've expected it to be a little more ragged, but she had obviously taken good care of it. Lucas walked out of the closet and towards Averie's crib. He placed the purple monkey in the crib and smiled down at his sleeping baby.

"Lucas" Brooke said sleepily, her voice raspy as she slowly opened her eyes. He turned around to face her and he smiled watching her eyes flutter shut as she spoke again, "Come lay with me."

Lucas nodded and then turned back towards the crib, smiling at his perfect sleeping daughter. He walked towards the bed and noticed Brooke had already closed her eyes again. He kicked his shoes off and took off his pants and shirt, deciding to sleep in his boxers. He lifted the blankets and climbed into the bed, wrapping his arms around Brooke and pulling her towards him.

She smiled in her sleep, resting her hands and face on his bare chest. "It feels good to have you hold me" She told him, her eyes closed and her voice consumed in sleep, making it barely audible.

Lucas smiled, moving a piece of hair from her face, "It feels good to hold you" he whispered as she snuggled her face into his chest until she was comfortable. When she didn't respond, he knew she was asleep. "I love you…Goodnight, Pretty Girl," He whispered before leaning down and gently kissing her forehead and then closing his eyes as well.

* * *

_A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter! I just want to say sorry once again for taking so long! But updates should start to be more regular again now! Just so you know, I am planning to start jumping ahead so we can move the story along. I am planning to move forward in chapter 30, but I will make sure to let you know how far I have jumped and what happened in between the times...I hope thats okay...if you have any questions feel free to PM me and I will answer them! Personal thank you's are back! I really missed writing them last time believe it or not! Thanks for being so patient with me, you guys really are awesome! Also, I know that when I write thank yous it might make the chapter seem shorter, but really i just have a lot of awesome reviewers so it takes a lot of space...and this chapter was actually longer than normal! Also, if you guys like to read Naley stories, you should really check out one on this site called 'A Life To Hope For'...I usually don't read Naley stories, but I do like this one. Another story you might want to check out is a new one called 'Beautiful Disaster' its a Brucas story and I am helping edit it and stuff...it's different from a lot of the stories on here, and should be really good! I hope I wrote everyone thank you's that reviewed...it was pretty late when I wrote them. If I missed you then thank you!! XOXOXLindsay_

**Thank You's **

**dolcegrazia-**** You are the first reviewer again! Way to go! I think you are probable the first to review most times haha. I'm glad you are liking the Keith/Karen/Lily! I decided to make Lily more of my own ****J**** thank you for your reviews! I always look forward to them!**

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)-**** Wow Syd, way to go being the second to review! That's pretty good for you, isn't it? Hahaa I thought so. That's pretty exciting that you are so in love with this story, but that is a pretty big commitment wouldn't you say? Don't tell the nuns hahaha. I'm glad that you liked all the Keith/Karen/Lily scenes! And I'm also excited that you liked the 'ucas to my brucas' part hahaha…I loved that part too, I was pretty excited for it! Don't worry Jake/Chae will be coming up! I miss them too, but you are right, Brucas is just amazing! They like over power everything! Anyways, I love your reviews and I love you! Seriously thank you for the amazing reviews! Also thank you for helping me out :D you are the best! Oh and you seriously need to lay off the drugs - energy drinks...i'm not buyin it - I'm seriously gonna send you to rehab hahaha. **

**onetreehillgirl066-**** hahah yeah, you were the first reviewer last time, but that's pretty cool that you got it even though you weren't trying for it! Yay for Brucas being together! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one just as much! Thanks for always reviewing!!**

**bella-**** I'm glad you liked the meeting that Brooke had with Karen and Lily! I'm happy you liked the family dinner too! I hope you liked this chapter as well! Thanks for always reviewing!!**

**reina123-**** Thank you for the review, they are always so sweet! I'm glad that you liked all of the Karen/Keith/Lily all liking Brooke and Averie parts! I hope you liked this chapter as well! Thanks for always reviewing!**

**OTHbrucas4ever-**** hahaha of course they love Brooke! Who wouldn't love Brooke? Thanks for your review! I hope you liked this chapter!**

**sweetchristie03-**** I'm glad that you thought the ending was okay, that is good to hear cuz I was a little nervous about it! I'm glad you liked all of the family together and that you liked Lily…she's so cute isn't she! Hahaa. Thanks for reviewing, I always love to read them!**

**onetreefan-**** I'm glad that you are loving the story! I hope you like this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!**

**whiters-**** I finally get to thank you personally for reviewing! I'm so excited to have you reading and reviewing, it like makes my day! I'm glad that you are enjoying the story a lot! That makes me so happy! I'm glad that you liked how everyone reacted to Brooke and Averie too! And you are right…who wouldn't love Brooke? Thank you so much for your review, it was really just perfect and I look forward to hearing from you again ****J**

**broodyprettygirl-**** I'm glad you liked the chapter! And I never get sick of Brucas sweetness either!! Brucas and a Brucas baby is just like perfect haha. You can never go wrong with a Brucas family!! I hope you liked the Brucas date! Thanks so much for reviewing!**

**erika-**** I'm glad you liked Lily and all of her silly little comments in the last chapter! Haha, I love her too…she's just so cute! You are so right, Brooke just fits in perfectly with the whole family! Brucas is just meant to be, there is no denying it! Haha. I'm glad you liked the 'ucas to my brucas' comment…I loved it too hehehe! Chae really should be on the show! She could totally replace peyton, and it'd be cool cuz she's actually on team Brucas and always a good friend to Brooke! Haha. I always picture Chae as like Rachel Bilson! She is a lot like Brooke! Hahaha, I always love your long rambling reviews, they are totally entertaining and that's a good thing! I love all kinds of music, my favorite song like changes by the minute hahaha. I really am like obsessed with the Beatles though ****J**** anyways, thanks for always reviewing! I totally love them!!**

**MarianaTeresia-**** I'm so glad you loved the last chapter! I hope you liked this one too ****J**** thanks for reviewing!!**

**IamCaroline-**** I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Hahah, I'm excited you love Lily and her funny comments haha. She's so cute! I love it when Brooke and Karen get along, I always picture them like in season one when Karen like loves Brooke and like shows her her scrapbooks and stuff haha. They are just cute! Yaaay for Brucas! I'm glad you couldn't stop smiling! That is totally a good thing! Thanks for always reviewing, I love reading them and always look forward to them!!**

**Jem (flipflopgal)-**** hahaha I'm glad you loved the chapter! Your review totally made me laugh! I'm glad you liked everything from Lily to Keith to how everyone fell in love with Averie! Haha. Thanks for reviewing, I love them!! I hope you liked this chapter too!**

**Jen (courtneylovejason)-**** It's my favorite spazzy bossy reviewer friend hahaha. Should I totally ruin this chapter for you since I know you are reading this first?? Hmmm…..I guess I won't, just because I am like super-duper nice though….hey, don't laugh…I am super-duper nice! Hahaha. Anyways, I love your review, its like your whole crazy thought process all typed up and then sent to me! Haha. Its like my favorite! I would comment on all of your comments, but it would take way too long! So I'll just say thank you! Oh and I can't wait to hear all about the basketball game ****J**

**SarahF-**** I am excited to have you reviewing! It's okay that it took you awhile, since you are reviewing now its all good! I'm glad you have stuck by the story since the beginning though, that is really awesome! I'm so glad that you love the story and like the pace that it is moving…that is really good to hear! Geez, can I just say I absolutely loved your whole review…like I really just want to comment on everything you wrote! Thank you for such a nice review! I really loved it, and I look forward to hearing from you again. Thank you, this review was totally needed…everything you wrote was just so nice and I don't know, great? Haha. Thanks though, really!! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**lilohb-**** I'm glad that you like that they are a cute happy family! Brucas families are the best, aren't they?? You really can't go wrong with a Brucas family! Hheehheeh. Thanks for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**chasitybsp-**** I'm glad you thought the chapter was still great even though they didn't get their freak on hahaha…that totally made me laugh! I'm glad you liked the Lily parts, she's so cute and fun to write! Hahaha and you are so right, Brucas and Averie are the cutest family ever! I'm glad you liked the 'ucas to my brucas' part haha…that was probably my favorite part of the whole chapter! I really do love to write thank you's to you guys, you deserve it! It does take a lot of time, but its worth it! And I usually have something to respond to in your reviews so this gives me the chance! Anyways, thanks for always reviewing, I always look out for them! I hope you liked the Brucas date!**

**chebelle-**** Thank you, I am really excited with all of the responses I am getting to this story, I didn't expect it at all, so its really exciting! And it's all thanks to you guys! Anyways… I'm so glad that the last chapter had you smiling lots! That is so what I'm hoping for when I'm writing….so my mission was definitely accomplished!! And we really do need all the Brucas cuteness that we can get! I'm glad you liked the family meeting Brooke, and I'm glad that you liked that Karen was nice. I always love Karen/Brooke moments too…so I'm glad you liked it as well! Since this story is like a drug to you…then I have to give you your fix…it's only fair! Sorry I left you hanging for so long in between this update and the last….I really will try my hardest not to let it happen again :D I totally love your reviews, and I always look forward to them so thank you! I hope you like this chapter!!**

**austingirl76-**** I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I am also happy that you are glad they are taking their time…obviously they wouldn't want to rush things after what happened the first time around….I'm glad you understand that ****J**** Yay for them being a big happy family! Thank you for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**CheeryGirl-**** Aww, thank you for your review! I'm glad that you love this story, and I can't believe its one of the best ones you've read….that really is awesome and such a huge compliment so thank you very much ****J**** Thanks so much for reviewing! I really loved it! I hope you liked this chapter!**

**sanasa-**** Thanks for reviewing! And don't worry, that will come with time!**

**brucas333-**** hahah I totally punk'd you…you were totally expecting a sex scene! I figured you would…but hey, there is a baby in the room! Hahaa. I'm glad you liked the chapter though anyways! Haha. I love Brucas too! Thanks for always reviewing! I love them!**

**Brucas3Naley23-**** I'm glad that you are happy that Keith and Karen love Brooke! It would be pretty hard for them not to love her ****J**** hahaha I'm glad you liked all of the little Lily parts, I loved them too! I hope you like the Brucas date! Thank you so much for reviewing! I loved reading it!!**

**Amy (brucas2008)-**** Hey friend! I'm glad that you liked the way everyone reacted to Brooke and Averie. I just want to say thank you for your review, it was something I really needed to hear…I'm glad that you think that I am writing the characters well, I always worry about that, so its good to know that I am keeping them believable and true to the show. Thanks so much for the review! I hope you liked the Brucas date!!**

**Katherine-**** I always write your thank you last, just because it is the hardest one to write lol. I think it's the hardest just because your reviews are always so amazing, and I just want to comment on everything you say! I seriously read your reviews over and over and they like give me inspiration while I'm writing, that's how much I love them haha. I'm so glad that you loved the last chapter! I'm sorry you are feeling sick…even though you are probably feeling better now…or at least I hope you are! I am really excited that you think this story is getting better and better, because that's all I want for it really. Yaaay for falling in love with Brucas over again, that's what we need since the show sucks so bad lately…well for like 2 seasons now haha. I'm glad that you liked all the beginning and Brooke meeting Lucas' family. I'm also glad you noticed the part where lucas was feeling sick because he realized he didn't know about brooke's clothes. That was a big part, so I'm glad you noticed it, but of course you did, cuz you are amazing! I seriously love your reviews, like you have no idea! I value your opinion a lot, and I always like can't wait to see what you thought about the chapters! I will be impatiently awaiting your review ;) Seriously Katherine, thank you so much ****J**

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23)-**** Hey buddy! BIF! Hahaha. Thanks for just loving this story! You are awesome….but I gotta say, I love our story time probably just as much as you love this story! Haha. I'm glad you were happy that luke's family liked Brooke and Averie! And Lily is just so cute isn't she! Haha. I hope you liked this chapter, and we will be talking soon I'm sure! Love you!**

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE-**** Simply amazing…that was very sweet of you to use those words to describe that chapter! That really was very nice of you, I was happy to read that ****J**** I'm glad you were happy that Lukes parents liked Brooke! How could anyone not like her! I hope you liked the Brucas date, and thank you so much for reviewing! I loved reading it!**

**carebearxo8-**** Aww I'm glad you loved the chapter! Yay for them being one big happy family! I'm glad you liked the whole Lily/Brooke parts haha. I think Lily really would totally love brooke on the show too if she had the chance lol. It's good to hear that you miss Chae, that's pretty neat considering that she isn't a real character on the show. It's pretty exciting though cuz a lot of you have been missing her! Its awesome! Don't worry though, she will be in the next chapter more! Thanks for your review! I loved it! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**TutorGrrl-**** I'm glad you liked the chapter and how I wrote Lily! I kind of just turned her into my own, she's fun to write! I'm glad that you liked how I wrote Karen, I wanted to keep her true to how she is in the show and you are right, she isn't a monster, she's actually very caring and understanding so I wanted to stay true to that! Thank you so much for your review! I really loved it! I hope you liked this chapter!!**

**brucas224-**** I'm glad you loved the brucas! I will try to add more of the other characters in the next chapter :) thanks for reviewing!!**

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)-**** Heeeey!! Was that really your favorite chapter so far? wow! thats pretty great! And being the 600th reviewer is pretty cool too! haha. I hope your break was good! And new songs are always exciting, you know if you make a new one then you have to send it to me :) heheheh. I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for always reviewing! love you!!**

**Natalie (iluvmedou)-**** I'm so glad you loved the chapter! I especially like it when it attaches a permanent smile onto your face! haha. Thanks for reviewing!!**

**queen08-**** I'm so glad that you loved the chapters! Thats okay that you are behind with reviewing, by reviewing now you are making up for it :) I'm glad that you have been reading! Thank you so much for your review, I try to update fast...sorry it took so long this time!**

**brokenhearted4ever-**** hahaha I'm glad you liked the ending. I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!**

**There was also one anonymous reviewer that forgot to put their name…so I'm not sure who it was! But you will probably know its you if you reviewed but didn't see your thank you. But the review was great none-the-less so THANK YOU!!**


	29. Holding On, Letting Go

**A/N: Alright everyone! Here is the next chapter! I'm just going to warn you, this one is really long...like its pretty much two chapters in one, but i really didn't want to break it up so I hope you are okay with reading an extra long chapter! A lot of stuff happens in this chapter, and I just needed to get it all out so that I can jump forward in the next chapter! Thank you all for being so supportive and patient with me! You really are awesome! The song in this chapter is called 'In Another Life' and is by the Veronicas! I hope you like this chapter, make sure and let me know what you thought! If you have any questions PM me! Enjoy!!**

_

* * *

_

You know I love you, I really do

_But I can't fight anymore for you _

_And I don't know, maybe we'll be together again _

_Sometime, in another life_

**Chapter Twenty-Nine- Holding On, Letting Go**

Brooke was sitting on the couch with a very cranky Averie. It was still pretty early and Lucas and Chae were both still sleeping. Averie hadn't slept much the night before, and Brooke was just glad that Lucas was there to help her. He had gotten up with her every time she cried and had held her for hours, only handing her over to Brooke when Averie needed to be fed. Brooke kissed Averie's forehead, leaving her lips against the baby's soft skin and thinking that she felt a little warm. Brooke laid Averie down on the couch and frowned as she watched Averie's face scrunch up before she let out tiny cries.

"It's okay baby" Brooke said in a hushed voice as she quickly took off Averie's pajamas, leaving her in only a onesie. She picked Averie back up and stood, bouncing her until her cries slowly subsided. "Where's that thermometer" Brooke asked herself as she dug around in the bathroom drawers. When she couldn't find it, she went into her bedroom and found it in a drawer under Averie's changing table. She looked over at Lucas who was still sleeping soundly in her bed and she decided to let him sleep. As soon as she found his jeans, she took his cell phone out of his pocket and left the room.

After taking Averie's temperature and noting that it was higher than it should be she decided to call Karen. She scrolled through the phone and dialed Lucas' house number, hoping that she wouldn't wake anyone up.

"_Hello?" Karen asked, answering the phone and sounding very awake to Brooke's surprise._

"Hey, Karen. It's Brooke..."

"_Brooke! How are you?" Karen asked sweetly, sounding genuinely happy to hear from her._

"I'm okay" Brooke said anxiously, slowly rocking Averie to try and keep her from crying. "I just have a question."

"_What's going on?" Karen asked, now sounding a little nervous._

"Averie has just been really cranky this morning and she didn't sleep at all last night" Brooke explained fretfully, "She has a fever and I just…I don't know what to do."

"_It's okay" Karen said comfortingly. "Do you have some infant Tylenol?"_

"Yeah, I think so" Brooke said, biting on her lip and watching as Averie's eyes squeezed shut and she started to whimper.

"_Just read the directions and give her how much it says…she should be fine. Try not to worry sweetie."_

"Okay, thanks Karen" Brooke sighed, not liking the idea of having a sick baby. She just wanted Averie to be okay.

"_Call me if you need anything and we'll talk to you later" Karen told Brooke. They said their goodbyes and Brooke hung up the phone._

Brooke finally found the infant Tylenol and hesitantly gave Averie how much the bottle told her too. She then fed the baby seeing as that usually comforted the little girl. Brooke lightly ran her fingers along Averie's face as she fed her. Brooke smiled as she watched Averie's eyes slowly start to flutter and finally close. She hated seeing her precious baby in distress, and she would do anything she could to keep her from pain. After she fed Averie she propped the baby on her shoulder and patted her back until she was finally asleep.

"Hey, you guys are up early" Chae said as she walked into the living room and noticed Brooke and Averie curled up in a chair.

"Yeah, she's not feeling so good" Brooke said in a whisper tilting her head toward Averie. Chae nodded her head in understanding and went back into her bedroom. She came back out a few minutes later with her already packed suitcase and wheeled it towards the door. "Are you going to the airport like that?" Brooke asked as Chae took a seat on the couch.

"Yeah, why?" Chae asked, running her hands through her hair that was pulled in a pony tail. She looked down and was confused, she was wearing cute sweats and her shirt matched. "I wanna be comfy" Chae told Brooke with a nod.

"If you say so" Brooke said with a smirk, raising an eyebrow at Chae. "Do you want Luke to give you a ride to the airport?"

Chae squinted her eyes and shook her head, "No, I called a cab, it should be here in a few minutes actually." Chae leaned back into the couch and looked over at Brooke with a questioning look and a spark in her eyes. "So…what are you and Lucas gonna do?"

"With a sick baby?" Brooke said, raising her eyebrows, "Probably not much" she said with a laugh.

"True" Chae laughed with a nod. "Well I hope she feels better and that you guys can have some alone time." Chae stood from the couch and walked over to Brooke. She leaned down and gently kissed Averie's head and lightly hugged Brooke with one arm. "Be good."

"You too" Brooke said with a laugh. "I'll miss ya Roomie" Brooke smiled at Chae and watched as she left the room.

"I'll call you later" Chae hollered to Brooke before she left the apartment.

Brooke leaned back into the chair, rubbing Averie's back when she started to stir. She really hoped that things went well with Chae and Jake this weekend. The distance had been really hard on them and she just hoped they could work through it. Brooke just knew that they were perfect for each other and that if Chae would let down some of her walls then things could be great between them. She sat up and looked towards the hallway when she heard a door open. She watched as Lucas walked into the living room, in only his boxers and looking very sleepy not to mention sexy as he rubbed his eyes and his hair stuck out in all different directions.

"Hey babe" he said, the words coming out in a yawn as he walked towards her. He rested his hand on the arm of her chair and leaned down, quickly kissing her lips.

"Good morning sleepy head" Brooke smiled her eyes following him as he took a seat on the couch.

"How is she?" Lucas asked, propping his feet up on the coffee table.

"She has a fever" Brooke frowned.

"Did you give her some baby Tylenol?" Lucas asked, trying not to smile as he watched Brooke pout. He had been around Lily enough to know that a fever was normally no big deal.

"Yeah, I called your mom…she told me Ave would be fine, but it still freaks me out" Brooke said, biting on her lip nervously as she looked down at her sleeping baby that suddenly seemed so _tiny_.

"Hey" Lucas said softly, waving his arms and motioning for Brooke to come sit by him. "She'll be fine" He told her as she sat down and leaned into his body, careful not to disturb the finally sleeping baby. Brooke shrugged, obviously not totally convinced by Lucas' comforting words. "Do you wanna go hang out with my family today for a while? They are moving everything out tomorrow and then leaving on Monday."

Brooke sat up and looked over at Lucas, "They are leaving in _two_ days? That's kind of soon isn't it? They've only been home for a week." Brooke was a little surprised they were already leaving. She was actually kind of sad about it. Lucas' parents seemed to finally like her and she loved spending time with Lily. It was kind of nice to have some sort of family that she felt like she could count on and she didn't really want to let that go yet.

"I guess they just want to spend this summer getting settled in their new home before Lily starts school in the fall" Lucas said with a shrug, "But you know, this is actually a good thing" Lucas said, raising his eyebrows at Brooke as he smiled seductively.

"And why is that?" Brooke questioned, narrowing her eyes towards the blonde.

"Well" Lucas said, his fingers dancing along the bare skin that was exposed between her sweats and shirt, "It's good because I get my house back…I don't have any nosey roommates…and we can spend quality time there" he smiled.

"Mmm" Brooke responded with a nod, "You make a good point there Broody…"

"Oh, yes I do, Cheery" Lucas agreed, lifting his hand to her cheek. "Speaking of roommates…where is yours?"

"She already went to the airport" Brooke explained, readjusting Averie as she began to squirm. When her tiny cries were heard Brooke stood from the couch, cradling the tiny girl in her arms. Lucas left the room and quickly returned with a pink pacifier, handing it to a grateful Brooke. "I feel so bad for her" Brooke said softly as she looked down at her tiny daughter.

Lucas stepped behind Brooke, wrapping an arm around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "She'll be okay, I promise. Let me take her for awhile and you can go take a hot shower and then we'll go see my family. How does that sound?"

Brooke turned around so she was now facing Lucas, "Thanks Luke" she said sincerely. She kissed Averie softly and then passed the baby to Lucas who handled her like a pro. "You really have been great" Brooke told him with a small smile before she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him softly.

"We're in this together" Lucas reminded her as she stared up at him.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Lucas I hate this" Brooke whined, her forehead crinkled and her lip quivering as she was on the verge of tears. They were driving over to Lucas' house and Brooke was sitting in the backseat with Averie who had been screaming ever since she was laid in her car seat.

Lucas looked back at Brooke in the rear view mirror and felt horrible for her. He hated hearing his baby cry and knowing that he couldn't help her, so he understood why Brooke was upset. But he knew he had to be the calm one in this situation, and if he wasn't then both of the girls he loved would be in tears. "Its okay Babe, we'll be there soon just try and stay calm for Ave."

Brooke nodded her head, knowing that Lucas was right. She stared into the car seat and saw her tiny little baby whose face was pink from crying. Brooke reached for the binky that was lying next to Averie and breathed a sigh of relief when the baby successfully took it this time. Brooke was unbuckling Averie from her car seat as soon as they started up Lucas' driveway. They both couldn't be happier to finally be there, and Averie was starting to relax now that she was in her mommy's arms.

"That was the worst car ride of my life" Brooke groaned as Lucas helped her out of the truck. She leaned into him as he wrapped an arm around her.

"I'm sure it won't be the last" he said with a laugh, receiving a glare from the brunette.

When they walked into the house they were immediately met by Karen who quickly hugged Brooke and then stepped back to examine Averie. "How is she doing? You look stressed."

"The ride over here was a nightmare, but her temperature has gone down" Brooke explained, handing Averie to Karen.

"Have you guys started packing?" Lucas asked, looking around the house and noting that nothing had changed.

"Not yet, stop being so antsy to get us out of here" Karen told him with a smirk, she turned away from them and started to walk towards the back door. "Your dad's barbequing out here, come get some food."

Lucas looked down at Brooke who still seemed to be pretty frazzled from their trip in the car. "We'll be out in a minute" he called to his mom who was already halfway out the door. He stepped towards Brooke and wrapped his large arms around her, and smiled as she immediately fell into him. He held her for a few minutes and waited for her to finally relax a little bit. "You okay?" he finally asked, lowering his face down next to her ear.

She nodded in response and pulled back so she could look at him. "Never leave me" she said hesitantly as she looked into his deep blue eyes. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she needed Lucas. He had been so strong these past couple months, and she wasn't sure what she would've done without him. It was weird to think that she was actually falling in love with her daughters' dad.

"Never" he said, smiling softly. He wrapped his arms tighter around her and lowered his lips onto hers. The kiss started out slow, but slowly progressed as their want and need for each other grew. If it wasn't for Lily calling Brooke from outside, they wouldn't have ever parted. Lucas reluctantly released Brooke's lips from his own and followed her into the backyard.

The rest of the day was nice and relaxing. Karen and Keith took care of Averie, giving Lucas and Brooke a much needed break. Brooke smiled as she watched Lucas play basketball in the backyard with Lily, and she even joined in for a while. Lucas teased Brooke, laughing when she had no idea how to even begin to make a basket. Lily giggled as she watched Lucas try and teach a frustrated Brooke and by the end of the night they were all extremely tired. Lily fell asleep quickly, and Averie was even sleeping soundly in Karen's arms. Lucas and Brooke were happy just lying in the hammock together in the back yard, talking about anything and everything. It was weird to them that they had a baby but were still getting to know each other. They didn't mind though, everything was still new and exciting to them and the thought of being apart from each other was not a good one. They finally decided that they should be heading back to Brooke's apartment, much to Karen's dismay.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke came out of her bedroom where she was feeding Averie and found Lucas sitting on the couch. They were both worn out from their long day playing and visiting with his family. Not to mention the sick baby that was quite the handful. Brooke walked towards Lucas, sitting down next to him on the couch. "She's finally out" Brooke said triumphantly, happy that the medicine seemed to be working and hoping that Averie would sleep more tonight.

"Good" Lucas grinned, playfully pulling on the drawstrings on Brooke's pajama pants. "Want to watch a movie? I'll make popcorn…"

Brooke's eyes grew wide and her lips formed into a dimpled smile, "Yeah!" She agreed excitedly, "You go get the popcorn started, I'll pick a movie!"

Lucas nodded and made his way into the kitchen as Brooke sat in front of her and Chae's collection of DVD's. She decided on a romantic comedy, knowing that she deserved it after the stressful day she had. She put it in the DVD player and got comfortable on the couch with mounds of blankets and pillows. She grinned as Lucas walked back into the room holding a large bowl of buttery popcorn and two tall glasses of soda.

He got comfortable next to Brooke on the couch and handed her the popcorn. He wrapped an arm around her and she snuggled into his side, immediately growing quiet as the movie started. They made it halfway through the movie before Brooke got utterly and completely bored.

She looked over at Lucas and smiled when she saw that he was totally into the movie. He had his broody face on and was concentrating; she couldn't help but find it totally sexy. She kicked the blankets off of her and then continued by pulling them off of Lucas as well.

"Hey" he said defensively as she took his blanket away, looking over at her with confusion. "What are you-" He stopped talking when Brooke sat up, swinging her leg over his lap so she was sitting on his legs. "Doing."

Brooke grinned mischievously before trailing her fingers down his chest to find the hem of his shirt. She started to slowly push the shirt up, revealing small amounts of his toned body with each movement. "Were you watching that?" She questioned, her voice was raspy as she narrowed her eyebrows and moved her face closer to his.

"Uh...no" Lucas gulped, his hands making their way to her hips.

"I didn't think so" she said, her devious smile returning. She kept pushing and pulling on his shirt, waiting as he lifted his arms so she could pull it over his head. After she discarded the piece of unnecessary fabric she ran her fingers along his warm upper body. She leaned her face down by his ear, "I think we should take advantage of this…you know, while Ave is sleeping…"

Lucas nodded happily in agreement and subconsciously ran his fingers along the skin underneath her tank top. He turned his head, and began kissing Brooke's jaw, causing her to tilt her head back. When his lips met her chin, she tipped her head forward again, greedily capturing his lips with hers.

They hungrily kissed each other, while Brooke ran her hands through Lucas' now messy hair. Lucas pushed Brooke's shirt up, his fingers roaming over her finally back to normal tummy. Lucas smiled against Brooke's lips as he heard her moan, and he was surprised when Brooke removed one of her hands from his hair to help him remove her shirt. They broke apart as her shirt was lifted over her head, and Brooke smiled at him as her chest heaved up and down quickly. His ragged breath matched hers and he immediately brought his lips to her collarbone. Brooke caught her breath while Lucas' lips roamed her neck freely. When she couldn't handle it any longer she brought her hands to his face, bringing his lips back onto hers with force.

Lucas arms tightened around her waist and he quickly stood up from the couch, lifting her with him. "Lucas!" Brooke giggled against his mouth as he swiftly laid her on the couch and lifted himself on top of her.

Lucas removed his lips from hers and just stared at the brunette beauty that was lying below him. Her lips were red and swollen, and her face was flushed. She was breathing heavily and he couldn't help but smile, knowing that he did that to her.

"Luke?" Brooke questioned, her voice heavy and raspy. She was obviously confused of why he had stopped their make-out session, and it was starting to worry her to see him just staring down at her like that.

His lips slowly curved into a smile as he brought a hand to her face, running a finger along her swollen lips before resting it on her flushed cheek. "I love you" he finally said, and watched as her eyes sparkled and swollen lips smiled. He watched as a dimple formed on each cheek, and he knew this was it for him. _She_ was it for him.

Brooke smiled as she bit her lip, and couldn't help but feel happy. She reached a hand up to his face and lifted her head, meeting him in the middle for a kiss. Her free hand roamed to the waistband of his sweats and began tugging at them, cursing them in her head for being on him in the first place. Lucas broke the kiss and lifted his lower body off of her as much as he could and together they finally removed his worn grey sweats. Lucas sat up and Brooke set each of her feet in his lap. They kept eye contact as he tugged at the bottom of her pants, slowly pulling them off of her, leaving her only in her bra and panties. He slowly climbed back on top of her and burning skin met skin. Lucas fumbled with her bra, and smiled against her lips as he finally removed it. Before long his boxers were on the floor along with her black panties.

Lucas and Brooke fell back into the rhythm of being together quickly. It was as if they had never been apart in the first place. They made up for lost time, spending hours together thanks to a very tired baby that slept soundly. They made love on the small couch, laughing when Lucas hit his foot against the armrest and tangled his fingers in Brooke's messy hair. They made their way to the floor, deciding to take advantage of all of the free space there. Brooke and Lucas rediscovered each others bodies, fulfilling each others wants and needs.

Brooke lay in Lucas' arms, her head resting against his bare chest and he talked to her until she finally fell asleep. When Averie woke up, they got up together, finding their pajamas and making their way into Brooke's bedroom. Lucas stayed up with Brooke while she fed the baby, and the three eventually fell asleep together in Brooke's bed.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke woke up the next morning and couldn't help but smile. Her night with Lucas was nothing short of astounding, and she felt like she had everything she wanted. When she finally opened her eyes she looked over to find crumpled up sheets and an empty bed. She finally made herself get out of bed, and after finding Averie's crib empty she made her way into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and then hair, pulling it into a messy bun. As she walked into the hallway she could smell cinnamon and syrup. She made her way into the kitchen and found Lucas in front of the stove, wearing only his grey pajamas. Averie was contently lying in her bouncy chair which was conveniently placed on the kitchen counter across from Lucas.

Brooke snuck up behind Lucas, thankful for tile floors that didn't creak. She slowly snaked her arms around his waist, her chin pressed against his back. "That smells amazing."

"And how are you this morning?" Lucas asked, his voice low as he smiled, turning around to face Brooke.

She kept her arms around his waist and her eyes lit up. "I'm pretty good" she said plainly, "starving actually."

"Well," Lucas started, smiling down at her, "That's perfect, because I made you French toast."

Brooke's smile grew and she couldn't help but squeeze Lucas and lean towards him to kiss him. "You are the best" she said clearly, releasing Lucas and walking towards the barstools. She unbuckled Averie from her seat and lifted the baby into her arms, kissing her cheek.

"I hope you are ready to be amazed" Lucas said smugly as he piled French toast onto a plate. After he smothered it with butter and maple syrup he grabbed two forks and walked towards Brooke, sitting down next to her.

"Oh I'm ready" Brooke said with a nod. She watched as Lucas used the side of his fork to cut the French toast into bite size pieces.

He stabbed one of the small pieces with his fork and slowly lifted it towards Brooke's mouth, "Open" he demanded, and she obliged, opening her mouth as he brought the food into it.

Brooke chewed and swallowed the bite, a permanent smile on her face, "That's _really_ good" she grinned, taking the extra fork Lucas had brought over and the two began eating together, Lucas feeding her a bite every once in a while.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas' parents were moving today so after they finished eating breakfast Lucas headed over to his house to help. He had brought Lily over to Brooke's apartment because the little girl kept getting in the way of the movers. Lily was more than happy to be babysat by Brooke, and she thought it was neat she got to go over to Brooke's house to play.

"Hey Lil?" Brooke called, walking into the living room holding Averie who seemed to be feeling a lot better. Lily looked up from the floor where there were Barbie's everywhere, "Will you watch Ave for a minute, I gotta make a super fast phone call."

"Then will you play with me?" Lily asked as she held a Barbie in each hand.

"Of course" Brooke smiled. She placed Averie in her swing and turned it on so that it would rock the baby slowly. "I'll be in my room kay?"

"Okay Brookie, I'll watch her…I'm really good with babies" Lily said happily, looking up at Brooke with a big, proud smile.

Brooke laughed at how cute Lily was and then grabbed her phone and went into her bedroom. She sat on the bed and dialed her best friends' number, excited when she picked up after only one ring. "Hey tutor mom!"

"_Tigger! How are you doing? Guess who's over here?" Haley questioned, not giving Brooke time to answer before she told her, "Chae and Jake."_

"I'm jealous" Brooke pouted, wishing she could be in Tree Hill with all of her friends too.

"_I wish you were here too B, we miss you" Haley sighed into the phone. "Everyone says hi…"_

"Tell them I say hi back" Brooke said, her cheery voice returning.

"_So what's going on?" Haley asked, she could always tell when Brooke had something to tell her, and this was definitely one of those times._

Brooke decided to cut straight to the point, "I think I love him Hale's" she smiled, her voice cheery and bubbly.

"_You…what?" Haley asked, confused by what was going on. She knew that Brooke and Lucas had been spending a lot of time together, and Chae had told her that she thought things were getting serious….but she still couldn't help but be a little surprised by Brooke's sudden confession. _

"He's just been so great" Brooke grinned, she couldn't help but feel happy with everything that was happening. "I just can't help it."

"_I'm happy for you Brooke" Haley said after a few moments of silence. She could tell that her friend was really happy, and even though she still had her reservations about Lucas she knew that Brooke deserved this. She just really hoped that Lucas didn't screw up again, because she hated the thought of seeing her best friend hurting._

"Thanks Haley" Brooke smiled, "that means a lot." Brooke flopped down on her bed, hugging one of her pillows against her. She was more than relieved that Haley didn't freak out at her, because this was definitely something she wanted to share with her best friend.

"_Hold on, Chae is freaking out and wants to talk to you" Haley said with an annoyed sigh._

"_Hey…" Chae said happily, taking the phone from Haley, "So how was your night alone with Lucas last night?"_

"We weren't alone, Averie was here" Brooke said, her voice sounding a little too nervous and anxious.

"_You guys totally hooked up" Chae said with a laugh. She could tell that something had gone on by the tone in Brooke's voice, "You did, didn't you?"_

"Maybe" Brooke said with a sly grin.

"_It's about time! I'll be home tomorrow, and I want details" Chae said with a smile. _

Brooke got off the phone and walked into the living room. She found Lily playing on the floor with her Barbie's, and noticed that there was even a Barbie resting in Averie's swing next to her. "Hey Lil, how about we make some cookies for your brother?" Brooke asked, kneeling down on the floor next to the little girl. Lily nodded eagerly and ran towards the kitchen. Brooke stood up and walked towards the swing, unhooking Averie and picking her up, "Should we make Daddy some cookies?"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke Lily and Averie were sitting on the couch watching a movie when they heard a knock on the door. Lily sat up and looked at Brooke, "I can answer the door now cause I'm 5" She said with a smile and a nod, obviously trying to get away with something she wasn't normally allowed to do.

"I'm sure ya can, how about I come with you though?" Brooke asked. Lily jumped up from the couch, and Brooke followed her with Averie. When they reached the door Brooke leaned down and looked through the peephole, she unlocked the door, "okay you can answer it Lily" Brooke said, standing back as she watched the five year old struggle with the doorknob before finally pulling it open.

"Lucas!" Lily grinned, throwing herself onto her brother who immediately picked her up. "We made you something today!"

"You did?" Lucas asked, hugging his little sister. "Did you have fun with Brooke and Ave today?" He asked Lily as he looked over at Brooke who was leaning against the wall while she held Averie.

"Yeah we had lots of fun" Lily said, her eyes lighting up. She started to squirm so Lucas set her back down on the ground, "I made you a picture! I'll go get it, stay right there!" She demanded, pointing her little finger at Lucas before she ran off.

"How are you?" Lucas asked, walking towards Brooke and taking Averie from her. After situating Averie on his shoulder he leaned down and kissed Brooke. His lips lingered on hers, not wanting to let go. When they heard Lily's tiny feet coming closer he reluctantly pulled away, leaving Brooke smiling.

"Here!" Lily smiled, pushing the paper into Lucas' free hand. "Its you and Brooke and Averie" Lily explained with a proud smile as her brother examined the round, colorful figures on the paper.

"I love it Lil" Lucas smiled, ruffling the little girls brown curl locks.

"Come on, we made you cookies" Lily smiled grabbing Lucas' hand and pulling him towards the kitchen.

Lucas turned to look at Brooke while his baby sister drug him into the kitchen. He raised his eyebrows, "You guys made cookies?" He questioned wearily as they entered the kitchen.

"Yeah, they are really good" Brooke smiled, picking Lily up and setting her on the counter next to a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

"Are you sure they are safe to eat? I mean they look harmless, but looks can be deceiving" Lucas asked nervously as he surveyed the plate of cookies. He watched Lily happily pick a cookie up and start to eat it.

Brooke smacked Lucas' arm, "Yeah they are safe to eat!" Brooke glared at him, and waited as he bit into a cookie. "Good right?"

"Surprisingly yes" Lucas said with a satisfied smile.

"It was so cool Lucas" Lily smiled, her eyes wide. "These cookies aren't like mommies, all you have to do is take them out of the fridge and you put them on the pan and into the oven! You don't even have to use the mixer!" Lily explained, excited about the new cookies Brooke had introduced her to.

"Oh" Lucas said with a laugh. "That explains it. They came pre-made…"

"Lily! That was supposed to be our secret" Brooke sighed, tickling the little girl.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas and Brooke sat on the floor of her bedroom later that night. Averie and Lily were both asleep on Brooke's bed, leaving Brooke and Lucas up by themselves. They were both happy to finally have some time alone, they had barely seen each other all day.

"How did the moving go?" Brooke asked, looking up at Lucas who looked very tired.

"It went good, it was a lot of work though" he said, his hand resting on her knee. "Thanks for watching Lily, it would have been a nightmare with her there."

"It was fun" Brooke said with a smile and a shrug. She rested her hand on top of Lucas and looked over at him, "I hope Averie is as great as she is."

"She will be…_you _are her mom after all" Lucas said seriously. Brooke nervously bit on her lip, and Lucas reached a hand to her cheek. She looked up at him, and he slowly leaned in to kiss her.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The next day Brooke, Lucas and Averie went back over to Lucas' house. They had to take Lily home and say goodbye to his family before they left for Boston. Lily was excited to leave, she couldn't wait to see her grandma, but she didn't want to leave her brother, niece or new friend Brooke. They were all sitting around in the living room after Keith had finished loading the car. Lily was sitting on the ground with Averie, playing with the small baby and keeping her occupied while the adults sat on couches and chairs, just talking.

"I can't believe we are actually leaving" Karen said sadly as she looked around the home she had loved. "I'm going to miss this place." Keith wrapped an arm around his wife, pulling her close as he sensed her sadness.

"You guys have already been gone for a year" Lucas said confusedly. He didn't know why his mom was getting so upset about leaving now.

"Lucas!" Brooke shrieked, smacking his arm. He was such a guy and could be insensitive sometimes, it drove her crazy. She turned her attention back to Karen, frowning slightly, "I bet its hard to leave."

Karen nodded sadly, "I've loved this place." She paused for a second, looking down at her daughter and granddaughter that were playing on the ground. "But I'm glad Lucas will be able to live here now and maybe raise his family here."

Brooke nodded and smiled softly, Lucas looked over at her, smiling as he lightly squeezed her hand.

"Well," Keith said, standing from the couch, "We better get going. We have a four hour drive ahead of us and I want to get there before its dark."

Karen immediately walked towards Lily and Averie, and picked the baby up, hugging her tightly against her. "Grandma loves you" She whispered to Averie, before handing her over to Keith who was holding his arms out impatiently. Karen then walked over to Brooke and pulled her in a tight hug. "Thanks for letting me get to know you. You are a great girl, and Lucas is lucky. Keep in touch okay?"

"I will. Thanks for everything Karen" Brooke smiled, both her and Karen trying not to cry as they released each other.

Keith walked towards Brooke, wrapping his free arm around her shoulder, "Keep my son in line okay?" Brooke laughed and nodded as she leaned into Keith. He kissed his granddaughter and then looked back at Brooke, "She's great."

Lucas pulled his mom into a hug, "You guys be safe" he told her as she buried her head into his shoulder.

"We will" she said, her voice shaky. "You hold on to this one Lucas" Karen said as they pulled away and looked over at Keith and Brooke who were smiling and talking.

Lucas nodded, smiling as he watched Brooke and his dad who had warmed up to her quickly. "I will" he said confidently.

Karen wrapped her arms around her son once more, "I'll miss you" she said sadly, not ready to leave him again so soon.

"I'll miss you too Ma" Lucas said, smiling sadly at his mom. "We'll come visit though" he promised.

"Ready to go Lily?" Keith asked, handing Averie back to Brooke as they all walked towards the door.

"Do I get to watch a movie in the car?" Lily questioned, scrunching up her face in wonder.

"Yeah, lets go get you in the car" Lucas answered, picking up his little sister who happily wrapped her arms around his neck. Brooke walked beside Lucas and they took Lily out to the car while Karen and Keith gathered their remaining bags. Lucas put Lily in the car, and fastened her seatbelt. He leaned in and hugged the little girl and then moved back so Brooke could give her a hug.

"Thanks for playing with me Lily" Brooke said to the little girl. "I'm gonna miss you, and so is Averie" Brooke said with a smile, tapping the little girls nose.

"Will you come play with me at my new house?" Lily asked, not really understanding that she was leaving and wouldn't get to see her brother or Brooke very much anymore.

"Of course we will" Brooke said with a smile. She hugged Lily once more and then let Lily kiss Averie's cheek.

After saying goodbye to everyone again, Lucas and Brooke watched as they drove away. Lucas wrapped an arm around Brooke as they stood in the front yard. After Karen and Keith's car was out of view they went back into the house. Brooke fed Averie and then handed her off to Lucas so he could change her and get her to sleep. He came out of Averie's nursery after she was finally sleeping and found Brooke in the living room looking through his old family albums.

"You were such a dork" She laughed as she looked up and saw Lucas entering the room. She looked back down at the book where there was a picture of a small Lucas who was missing a couple teeth. He had a huge smile on his face and his blonde hair was messy. There was a paper next to the picture that was written on in messy children's handwriting. Lucas shook his head as he sat down next to Brooke and noticed what she was looking at. "And I quote, 'when I grow up I want to be a fire truck'…" Brooke looked over at Lucas and started to laugh uncontrollably, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth.

"What's wrong with that?" Lucas asked, looking down at the paper and thinking his answer was fine.

"A _fire truck _Lucas" Brooke got out before erupting in giggles again. "I guess that didn't work out so good did it?" she laughed.

"I was seven!" Lucas said in defense, pulling the book away from Brooke and closing it. Brooke kept laughing at Lucas, and luckily her cell phone started to ring.

"I'll be right back…don't drive away to fight fires now" Brooke said, still laughing as she walked into the kitchen to find her phone. Brooke picked up the phone, answering it without checking the caller I.D. "Hello?"

"_Where the hell are you?" Chae half whined, half yelled into the phone. "We just got here and you aren't even home!" _

"I'm at Luke's house" Brooke explained, her voice still lined in laughter.

"_Well, get home!" Chae demanded._

"Averie just fell asleep" Brooke sighed into the phone. Brooke thought for a second, "Wait a minute, you said _we _just got here?"

"_Uh, yeah…I brought Jake back with me" Chae said in a 'duh' voice, as if Brooke should have known._

"Really? Well, maybe Averie will stay asleep if we put her in the car seat…" Brooke decided, "Yeah, we'll see you soon!" Brooke exclaimed, excited to get home to see her friends. She hung up the phone and noticed Lucas had come into the room and was now standing behind her.

"Brooke I _just _got her to sleep" Lucas complained, slowly wrapping his arms around her waist, "Plus, do we really want to go back to your apartment, Chae is back and if we stay here we will be _alone_." He leaned his mouth down to her neck and slowly started to place light kisses all over it, leading up to her ear and then along her jaw.

Brooke melted in his arms, closing her eyes and smiling. She then brought herself back to reality and lifted a hand to Lucas, pushing him off, "God, you always do this to me" She groaned, glaring at Lucas when he started to smile.

"So we're staying?" he questioned, lowering his lips onto Brooke's and pulling her closer towards him as he deepened the kiss.

"Mmm" Brooke moaned against his lips before once again pushing him away, "You _really _need to stop" she pouted. She wiggled out of his arms and walked away from him before he tried anything else. She started to gather up Averie's things and then her own.

"Brooke, she's been gone for like two days, I know you don't miss her that much" Lucas complained, really wishing that Brooke would just agree to stay there for the night. "We can go over there first thing in the morning."

"I know, but first of all she brought Jake home with her, and we haven't seen him for like a month" Brooke told him, holding up a pink pacifier as she moved her hands around to emphasize her point. She dropped it into her bag before continuing, "And second of all, they planned some sort of surprise for me and I'm dying to see what it is" Brooke smiled, wiggling her eyebrows at Lucas.

Lucas rolled his eyes, smiling at Brooke, only because he couldn't help it. "I'll go get Ave" he mumbled, deciding it would be best to stay on the brunettes good side anyways. She grinned at him, her dimpled smile, and he grabbed his daughters car seat, heading towards the nursery that he had just left.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke had been texting Chae throughout the whole drive back to her apartment. It was starting to drive Lucas crazy, but at least Averie had stayed asleep. Brooke looked over at Lucas and could tell he was irritated, she set her phone down and reached a hand over to him, resting it on his thigh and giving him a small smile. He looked over at her for only a second before returning his attention back to the road.

"What's wrong?" Brooke asked, biting on her lip nervously.

"Nothing" he said, shaking his head and keeping his eyes on the road.

"Lucas, stop making a big deal out of this, I just want to see my friends" Brooke said, her voice growing as annoyed as Lucas was acting. She removed her hand from his leg, bringing it back to her own lap.

"Yeah, that's fine" Lucas said, annoyance in his voice.

Brooke just rolled her eyes and they sat in silence for the rest of the car ride. Brooke stared out the window the entire time, refusing to even look over at Lucas. He was being such a baby, and she knew that she shouldn't feel bad for wanting to see her friends. They pulled out of the sunlight and into the dark parking garage and Brooke couldn't wait to get out of the truck.

Lucas pulled into a parking spot and Brooke immediately reached for the door handle, but was stopped by Lucas' hand on her arm. She released the door handle and looked over at him, raising her eyebrows and waiting for what he wanted to say.

"Brooke, I'm sorry" He said, exhaling deeply. She relaxed in the seat and Lucas took this as a good sign. "I know I'm being selfish because I just want you all to myself. But I know your friends are important to you and maybe I overreacted." He smiled at her softly, his hand now rubbing her arm lightly.

"It's okay" Brooke shrugged, when she really wanted to say 'yeah, you _are _being a selfish ass'. She grabbed her phone and dialed Chae's number. She told Chae that they were there, and Chae told her they would be down and to stay in the truck. Brooke groaned, leaning back into the seat.

"What's going on? Why do we have to wait out here?" Lucas asked once Brooke got off of the phone.

"Who knows with those two" Brooke said, rolling her eyes. "They probably just want to go out to dinner or something."

A few minutes later Brooke saw Chae pretty much skipping over to the truck and Jake following behind her. Brooke opened the door and practically jumped out of the truck, running towards Chae and Jake. Lucas got out of the truck as well, grabbing Brooke's purse and getting Averie's car seat from the back seat. By the time he had everything out of the truck Brooke, Chae and Jake had made their way over to him.

"Hey Lukey" Chae smiled, giving him a hug. "I knew ya had it in ya" She said with a wink, receiving a confused look back from Lucas.

Jake and Lucas said hi and started to make small talk before Chae started to get impatient. "Come on!" She whined, pulling on Brooke, "We have something to show you!"

"Surprise time?" Brooke questioned, looking up at Jake. When he laughed and nodded she started clapping her hands together.

Chae led them through the parking garage and they kept getting farther and farther away from the exit, making Brooke and Lucas even more confused.

"Alright, close your eyes" Chae instructed, and Brooke immediately began to shake her head no. "Just do it…I'll lead you to your _surprise_!" Chae sang, smiling at Brooke.

"Okay fine…Just please don't run me into anything…I have a baby to take care of ya know" Brooke said, reluctantly closing her eyes to be lead by Chae. After they walked a little farther Chae finally stopped, causing Brooke to stumble. "Okay, open!"

Brooke opened her eyes, blinking a few times. She then noticed her light blue VW bug parked in a spot right in front of her. "You guys drove my car down here?" She asked with a huge smile.

"Yeah, I just thought you might need it" Jake shrugged, opening his arms as Brooke threw hers around his neck. "I just don't want you to have to drive Averie around in cabs."

"Thanks so much Jake" Brooke said into his neck. She couldn't believe that they had driven her car all the way up there for her. She had been missing her tiny, cute car and was so excited that they had driven it here for her. She was pretty surprised, and decided it was a good one.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke was so excited about her car being in New York that she had forgotten all about her argument with Lucas. She was sitting on his lap in the big chair in the living room. Chae and Jake were sitting on the couch, admiring Averie. They had all been hanging out and talking all evening, and it was starting to get later. After ordering pizza for dinner, were all way too full and lazy from eating way too much.

Brooke leaned back into Lucas' chest and turned her face towards him, "Are they being weird?" She asked, motioning towards Chae and Jake who were only paying attention to Averie.

"I was thinking the same thing" Lucas said with a nod, tightening his hold around Brooke.

Jake suddenly stood from the couch, stretching his arms. "Well, I'm gonna go to sleep. I'm worn out from all of the driving" he announced, his voice tight and strained. He looked down at Chae who was still staring at Averie.

"Goodnight" Brooke told him, confused with why he was going to bed when everyone was up talking and catching up. She hadn't seen him for awhile, and she thought he might want to actually hang out. Brooke and Lucas noticed that Chae didn't say anything when Jake left the room, she didn't even acknowledge it really. Brooke sat up in the chair, "Chae, what's going on?"

"I don't know what you're talking about" Chae shrugged, keeping her focus on Averie. "Isn't that right? I missed you _so _much" She told Averie in baby talk.

"Jake is being really quiet, he hasn't hardly said anything since you got here, and you do too know what I'm talking about" Brooke said to Chae, refusing to give up until she got some answers.

Chae looked up at Brooke, glaring daggers at her. Lucas looked between the two feisty brunettes, and took this as his time to leave the room. He placed his hands on Brooke's hips lifting her up so he could stand. "I'm just gonna go give Ave a bath, get her ready for bed" He explained, walking towards Chae and picking up Averie. As he turned to walk away he mouthed 'good luck' to Brooke, hurrying into her bedroom.

Brooke walked over to the couch and sat down next to Chae, who was averting her eyes anywhere but at Brooke. "Spill" Brooke demanded, leaning back into the couch and pulling her feet up under her.

Chae breathed in deeply, following Brooke's lead and leaning back into the couch. "Well, when I got there everything was good, really good. We spend _a lot_ of time _alone _at his house, and we hung out with Haley and Nathan and Max, who is like _huge _by the way. And your friends are just really _great_." Chae shrugged, pausing and looking over at Brooke.

"Okay, so I have a feeling there is a little more to the story than this…" Brooke said slowly, narrowing her eyes at Chae. "Wait, before you start again are we going to need ice cream?" Brooke asked, and watched as Chae nodded sadly. "Right." Brooke said, nodding her head as she jumped off of the couch and ran into the kitchen. She came back with a tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream and two spoons. She handed Chae a spoon, "It's chocolate therapy" Brooke said with a wide grin, her eyes widening in excitement. Brooke took a spoonful of the ice cream and watched happily as Chae did the same.

"So everything was fine" Chae told Brooke after she swallowed her ice cream. "We were having a great time. We got up early this morning to drive back here and we were excited for the time just to talk…But then he started saying how we need to decide where we are going with 'this'…" Chae told Brooke, rolling her eyes and using finger quotes. "He said he's sick of waiting around and we either need to make things official or be done."

"So what did you do?" Brooke asked, sitting up straight. "Please tell me you are officially his girlfriend."

Chae squinted her eyes, shaking her head. "Not exactly. I got kinda mad and told him that while we are living so far away I don't think we should have that title. It wouldn't do us any good, it wouldn't make things _better _and it sure as hell wouldn't make things _easier_."

"Chae" Brooke frowned, wrapping an arm around her friends shoulder.

Chae leaned her head into Brooke's shoulder as soon as she felt her eyes welling up with tears. "It's just too hard Brooke" Chae choked out, crying softly.

Brooke set the ice cream down on the coffee table along with her and Chae's spoon. She then wrapped both of her arms around her friend, letting Chae cry as she hugged her. "It's okay, you two will get through this" Brooke said comfortingly into Chae's hair as she cried.

Chae pulled away from Brooke, roughly wiping at her eyes. "I don't know Brooke. It's just been too much…I think I'm just gonna sleep out here though, I'm pretty tired."

"You're sleeping on the couch?" Brooke questioned, raising her eyebrows. "I think you need to be in _there_" Brooke said, pointing towards Chae's bedroom, "And once you are in there you need to be _making up _with your _not_-boyfriend!"

Chae laughed lightly, wishing that it was that easy. But it just wasn't. She couldn't even look at Jake, especially after he asked her to move there and be with him. It was just to hard and way too much. She was so overwhelmed that she just needed her space, and if that meant sleeping on the couch, then that's where she would be.

"I think I'll just stay out here" Chae said with a shrug. "But I think you need to tell me about _your _'not-boyfriend'?"

Brooke bit on her lip, and looked down at her lap as a smile formed on her face and her cheeks blushed.

"So was he as good as you remembered?" Chae asked, trying not to laugh.

"Better" Brooke mumbled, still looking down until they both erupted in fits of giggles.

Lucas walked into the living room, holding a clean and squirmy baby in his arms. "Hey, I think she's ready to be fed" He said nervously, hating that he had to interrupt Chae and Brooke's girl talk.

"Will you just bring her-"

Chae cut Brooke off, shaking her head and stopping her laughter, "You can just feed her in there, I'm ready to go to sleep anyways."

"Are you sure?" Brooke asked, looking at Chae still a little worried. Lucas walked back into Brooke's bedroom to wait for Brooke.

"Yeah," Chae said, forcing out a smile. "_Lucas was undressing you with his eyes_" Chae whispered, leaning into Brooke, "And he has been all night…I think you better get in there" she winked, "But thanks for talking…"

Brooke smiled softly at her friend, hugging her quickly, "Your welcome. And just hang in there kay Chae-bay?" Chae nodded and Brooke reached for the ice cream so she could put it away.

"You can just leave that" Chae said with a small smile. Brooke gave her a knowing nod and set the ice cream back on the coffee table before heading to her room where her relationship with Lucas was actually pretty great. She felt bad for Chae and Jake, and she really hoped that they could work through whatever was causing them so much grief.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke rolled over in bed, waking up after a long, sleepless night thanks to a cranky baby. Lucas was sleeping peacefully and even though he looked so cute sleeping, she just couldn't let him. She leaned up on her elbows, scooting over towards him on her stomach. She placed her hands on his chest and lowered her lips onto his, she lightly pecked his lips over and over until he starred to stir and his eyes slowly opened. He wrapped his arms around Brooke and when she lowered her lips onto his this time, she left them there.

"Mmm good morning" Brooke grinned against his lips as her hands ran along his naked chest.

"Morning baby" Lucas said sleepily, before reattaching his lips to Brookes. He quickly rolled her over so that he was now hovering over at her. He tickled her sides as he kissed her, and she couldn't help but giggle. "Shh" Lucas said against her lips, he pulled away momentarily only to say, "We don't want to wake up Averie."

She smiled and nodded before his lips crashed onto hers again, this time with more force. He kissed her hard and couldn't help but slowly edge her tank top up to expose her stomach. He ran his fingers along her bare skin as the kiss grew more intense. Brooke ran her fingers along the elastic of his boxers, feeling him pressing against her.

"_God, that is not what I'm saying!" _They heard Chae yell from outside of Brooke's bedroom door. The yelling cause Brooke and Lucas to stop dead in their tracks. Lucas slowly peeled his lips away from Brookes and he sat up slowly, sitting next to Brooke who was now sitting up as well.

"What is going on with them?" Lucas asked quietly just in case there was another fit of yelling from outside the bedroom.

"I don't know" Brooke shrugged, she slowly climbed out of bed, entranced by what was going on outside of her room. She crept towards the door, and sat down, leaning her ear against it.

"Didn't you guys talk about it last night?" Lucas asked, getting out of bed and walking towards Brooke, sitting down by her on the floor.

"Well yeah, but I didn't know it was this bad…I thought it was just a stupid argument" She told him in a whisper voice.

"_You just don't…committed….trying…damn hard" _Brooke and Lucas heard Jake yell, only catching a few words here and there.

"That really does not sound good" Brooke said, shaking her head.

"Do you think we should go out there?" Lucas asked wearily, his ear still pressed against the door.

"No way" Brooke said with wide eyes. She sure as hell wasn't going to be caught in the middle of that argument.

"_You never listen to me!" _Chae's shrill voice sounded through the door.

"Ooo" Brooke groaned, biting on her lip.

"_You don't want to try? I'm done" _they heard Jake yell. It was quiet for a few seconds before they felt and heard Chae's bedroom door slam shut next door to Brooke's room. They stayed on the floor, quietly listening for anymore sounds or movements from outside.

When they didn't hear anything Brooke and Lucas both cautiously stood from the floor, looking at each other with no idea what to do next.

"I'm gonna go out there" Brooke decided. She didn't like what was happening, and she figured maybe she should try and be a voice of reason in this one.

"I'll come with you" Lucas told her, not wanting her to walk out into the crossfire alone.

"Babe, you're practically naked" Brooke said, tilting her head and smiling at him. "Not that I mind…but you should probably be clothed…" Lucas nodded in agreement and Brooke slowly turned the doorknob, "Get dressed and meet me out here in a minute…I'm gonna test the waters."

Brooke walked out into the hallway, closing her bedroom door behind her. She walked into the living room and found Jake sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. Slowly, she stepped towards him, taking a seat next to him on the couch. He looked up at her, and she could tell that he felt bad for all of the yelling by the way he was looking at her. She felt a little bad too though, considering she basically eavesdropped on his and Chae's entire argument.

"How ya doing buddy?" Brooke asked, realizing that it was a stupid question right after it left her mouth.

"I'm sorry this trip sucked so much Brooke" Jake said regretfully. "I know we didn't have much time to talk, its just a lot has been going on and my mind has been somewhere else completely."

Brooke nodded, knowing that Jake was obviously preoccupied with everything that had gone on with Chae. "It's okay."

"I'm gonna get going, but we'll talk soon okay?" Jake told Brooke, standing from the couch. He had originally planned to stay for a few more days, but he figured he'd just change his plane ticket when he got to the airport today. "You need to come down to Tree Hill, Haley misses you ya know?"

Brooke nodded again sadly, standing to hug her friend. Her and Jake had always been great friends, and she felt horribly for him. She pulled out of the hug, and had no idea what to even say to Jake. She walked with him to the door where his duffel bag was already packed and waiting. He unlocked the deadbolt, and opened the door.

"Tell Lucas to be good to you or I'll beat his ass" Jake said with a slight smile, trying to lighten the tense mood that had built up for good reason.

"I will" Brooke said, smiling softly up at him. They stood in the doorway for a few more seconds, Jake in the hall, and Brooke inside the apartment. "Are you guys really done?" Brooke asked, her voice quiet and timid.

Jake nodded sadly, gripping onto his bag tightly. "Yeah, we are." he looked down, and then looked back up at Brooke. "I better get going. Sorry again."

"Don't worry about it Jake" Brooke told him sadly.

"I love you Penelope" Jake told her as he walked away from the apartment. Leaving one of his best friends, and his now ex girlfriend, if Chae had ever been that to begin with. He really didn't expect this trip to turn out in this way, and leaving that apartment he felt lost.

Brooke closed the door and locked it. She walked back into the apartment, still in shock. Lucas was standing in the living room and she immediately walked into his arms, holding on to him tightly as she pressed her face hard into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned down to kiss her silky hair. "They had no problems" She said quietly into his chest, her fingers holding onto the cotton of his shirt tightly.

"Maybe they did, maybe they just didn't tell you" Lucas told her. He knew it wasn't what she wanted to hear, but it was the truth.

Brooke didn't say anything back to him, just kept her face hidden in his chest and her hands tight on his back. She didn't want to let go of him in fear of losing him all together.

"It's okay" he said softly, bringing a hand up to her cheek.

She pulled back lightly, only enough so that she could see his face, "But what if that happens to us Lucas?"

Lucas shook his head, his blue eyes locking onto her hazel ones, "It won't." He told her. She found comfort in his confident and reassuring voice.

"I should probably go talk to Chae" Brooke said, slowly releasing Lucas and walking towards Chae's bedroom. Averie started to cry, as if on cue, and Brooke looked torn, not knowing which room to enter.

"I'll get her" Lucas told Brooke, giving her a light push towards Chae's bedroom.

Brooke knocked on Chae's door lightly, and when she didn't get a response she crossed her fingers and slowly opened the door. She saw Chae laying on her bed, holding a pillow to her chest as tears ran down her face.

"I just…can't…do it" Chae sobbed, her words coming out barely audible in between cries.

"It's okay honey" Brooke soothed, quickly climbing onto the bed and pulling her broken friend into her arms. "It's gonna be okay."

Chae hid her face in Brooke's shoulder, her wet tears soaking her friend. "It's too…it was…too hard" Chae cried.

Brooke stayed with Chae, trying to comfort her as she cried. She whispered all of the soothing words she could think of, but nothing seemed to help. This just wasn't how it was supposed to be. Her and Lucas were so happy right now, she felt like she had everything she ever wanted. After listening to Chae and Jake yell at each other, it made her lose hope for love all together. Seeing Chae so upset and broken brought back all of her fears about trust and commitment. Maybe it really wasn't worth it, in the end all you got was hurt anyways. For the majority of the time Chae and Jake were happy. It made Brooke wonder how long her and Lucas would be able to be happy before tragedy struck and they both ended up more broken than before. As Chae shook and cried in her arms, she wasn't sure if any of this was worth it.

_The way you're holding on to me _

_Makes me feel like I can't breathe _

_Just let me go, just let me go _

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

**A/N: Okay, wow! I hope you guys liked this looong chapter! The next one will be jumping ahead about 6 months...so thats exciting! I want to just thank everyone who reviewed again! You guys are the best! Don't forget to review and i'll try and update on sunday...i hope you all have a great weekend! I love you all! xoxox Lindsay!**

**…:Thank You's:…**

**Onetreehillgirl066- **way to go being the first reviewer…I'm glad you liked the song in the last chapter! I hope you liked this extra long one as well! Thanks for reviewing!

**Dolcegrazia- **I'm glad you really liked the last chapter, and the date! I was happy to hear that! I'm glad that you are excited for the story to jump ahead, because I am to! Thanks for always reviewing J

**Allie (Othfan326)- **I always love your reviews! I'm happy that you loved the last chapter! I'm glad you liked the brucas date, and I actually am thinking about bringing brooke's mom into the story for maybe a chapter or something in the future! So thank you for that suggestion! I'm glad you liked the purple monkey part, haha I couldn't help but add that in there! I hope you liked this extra long chapter! Thanks for reviewing, I always love them! And yay, I'm officially done with school! That's a bummer that you have a whole nother month..we got out like way early, but I'm not complaining!

**Lin (LoveLin)- **Aww, thank you for reviewing! I always love to hear from new reviewers. Your review was so sweet, I seriously loved it. Thank you so much! Reviews like yours are exactly what I need to hear…so thank you very much J I'm glad you are liking the whole story and everything! I'm glad you liked how the brucas date went! Thank you for writing a review even though your wrist is broken, I can imagine that could be pretty difficult! I broke my wrists when I was little, I remember it was hard to carry my lunch tray at school lol. Anyways, thank you for your review, it was amazing!

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- **Hashanah, I love the movie Blue Crush, I just watched it the other day too! Yay for the purple monkey! I just had to add that in, I really couldn't help it lol. Brucas are so cute lately…they are restoring my Brucas faith! I love them! Hahah you are so funny, it was like being in maine without the overralls. Hahah. I like laughed my head off. I love you! Thanks for always reviewing! I hope you liked this freakishly long chapter!

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23)- **Hey bif! You are so sweet! I always love your reviews! I still don't get why you love my story so much, but I'm so happy that you do! I really hope you liked this crazy loooong chapter! It seriously is outta control! It'll be amazing if I ever get these reviews finished, I cant stop watching the brucas clips lol. Anyways, I will be talking to you soon I'm sure J ILY!!

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)- **Look who it is! Hahaaha. I almost started by playing the bleeping game, but then I remembered it doesn't bleep out here, I'm not gonna lie…I got a little bit sad hahha. Hoe. Hahaah. I'm glad you loved the brucas date! I didn't know if people would since they didn't really do anything, but people seemed to like it anyways! And yaay he loves her! Duh. How couldn't he? So it would take me like years to comment on your whole review, so I think I'm just gonna stop now. I hope you dressed up like a construction worker last night haha. And I also hope you didn't lose anything in your hair…..ahahahhaa. Thanks for always reviewing, you know you are like the shit right? Dang it…no bleeping. Hahaha. I love you!

**Jem (flipflopgal)- **I'm glad that you liked brucas' first date! That's awesome! Thank you for always reviewing, I love to hear from you!! I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Amy (brucas2008)- **I'm glad you are hooked to this story hahaha. That really is a good thing! And you are right, brooke does always let her guard down to Lucas! Its just so cute! I hope you liked this chapter, even though it was like super long! Thanks for always reviewing!!

**SarahF- **I seriously loved your review! It was very nice! I'm glad you liked their first date and how open they were with each other. Especially how open Brooke was! And you are totally welcome for writing this story! Reviews like yours just make me want to continue with it! That's awesome that you did a dance of joy when you saw I had updated, hahaha I hope you did it again cuz that's pretty awesome! I hope you liked this chapter, and thanks again for reviewing, I really love them!

**Tanya (tanya2byour21)- **Thank you so much for your review! I love seeing new reviewers! I'm glad you like how Brooke acts with Averie, and I'm also glad you liked how their first date went! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Katherine- **I am so glad you are feeling better J being sick seriously is not fun! Thanks for being concerned about me, I was actually surprised when I didn't get emails lol. I hated taking so long to update, but luckily things are starting to calm down now and life is slowly returning to normal so that is good J I love how you notice like every little detail in the story…well you just notice more than a lot of people do and I love it! Like the guy in the restaurant…and the brucas family having the apartment to themselves… I'm glad that you liked their conversation and the way they opened up to each other and reacted… I just love your reviews! I wish I could comment on like every comment you make but that would take forever. Your reviews are my favorite though… I really like love them haha. I hope you liked this chapter… and I know you will let me know what you though, so I'll be waiting! Everytime I get a review I'm like 'I hope its katherine!' hahaha. I get excited! Anyways, thanks so much for reviewing, they are always like the best things ever!

**Onetreefan- **I'm glad you are enjoying the story! And I'm also glad that you like how I wrote both of their pasts! It was kind of difficult, so I'm glad that it worked! I like your ideas about how the future can go for Brooke and Lucas…but you'll just have to wait and see ;) Thanks for your review and I hope you like this chapter!

**Natalie (iluvmedou)-** I'm glad that I cheered you up with the last chapter if it was only for a few minutes J I'm glad you liked how the brucas date went! Ooohhh and the purple monkey J I just couldn't help it, and you are right, that is pure brucas love! Ahh! I love it! Thank you so much for your review!! I hope you like this extra long chapter!

**Jen (courtneylovejason)- **Hey buddy! Well, I'm not gonna lie…I was kinda sad when you decided to not review while you write…then I didn't get to hear any of your crazy thoughts! And I love your crazy thoughts lol. But I can understand that it can be kind of time consuming to do that! It sounds like you were pretty busy anyways lol. So its cool, I forgive you J I'm so glad you weren't mad at me at all in the last chapter! Yay! That's like total improvement. I have a feeling you are gonna hate me after this chapter! But whatev! So I'm glad you loved everything about the last chapter J and I hope you like this one as well! Thanks for always reviewing! Looove you!!

**Lilohb- **I'm glad you loved the whole chapter! And thanks so much for being so supportive even when it takes me so long to review! You are the best! Thanks for always reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- **I'm glad you loved brucas' first date! And you are right, lucas spending the night is like the perfect ending hehehe. Thank you for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Austingirl76- **I'm glad that you are ready for the time jump…I am too lol. That's pretty cool that this is like the only story you are interested in ahhaha. That like makes my day! Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter, and thanks sooo much for reviewing!

**Brucas333- **hhahaha yes I am the new ashton! that's awesome, except I get punk'd like all day long lol. I lose my phone…and I'm pretty sure its just me getting punk'd ahhaha. I'm glad you loved the last chapter, and also excited that you don't mind if I jump ahead J thanks for reviewing!!

**Erika- **I hope your mom is okay, I was sad to hear she was in the hospital L hahaha you are right, brucas did get to know each other. I seriously laughed my head off at your review when you were like 'nice to meet you, wanna have sex?' hahaha that is totally how their relationship was! So funny! Yay for the purple monkey! And don't worry, Jakes feelings for brooke are only platonic! Hahaha. Thank you for reviewing, as always I loved reading it! I hope you liked this chapter!

**IamCaroline- **I'm glad you liked the brucas date! And yay for the purple monkey! I just had to put that in there somewhere, cuz its so brucas! Haha. I'm glad you are happy that I'm jumping ahead, I am really excited to do so! I hope you liked this chapter, and thank you for always reviewing! I love them!

**TutorGrrl- **Thank you so much for your review! I seriously loved it! And I'm glad you liked the brucas date, and Brooke's insecurities and how they shared everything! Thank you for being so supportive of this story! I really hope you like this chapter!

**Chasitybsp- **I'm glad you loved the chapter! And you are right they are slowly getting back on track! I'm glad you like Chae! She is funny, I always have fun writing her! I hope you like this chapter! And it was good to know you were missing this fic after that long week break hahha. Thanks for always reviewing!!

**Brucas3Naley23- **I'm glad you loved the brucas date! Thank you so much for reviewing, and I'm glad you liked the last chapter..I hope you like this one as well J

**Bella- **I'm glad you liked when Brucas talked about their past! Hahah I'm glad you liked the purple monkey too..I was pretty excited for that part! Thank you so much for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Eunice101- **I'm glad you loved the last chapter! I hope you love this one too J thank you so much for reviewing!

**Reina123- **Thank you for always loving this story and for always reviewing! Really, I appreciate it! I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Chebelle- **hahaha I'm glad I had you grinning like a goofy idiot…I think that is a good sign! Haha. I'm glad you liked the brucas date, and the part where they were talking in Brooke's room J The end of the school year is always stressful, so I understand! I am happy that I am officially done with school for right now! It's pretty exciting! It is kind of hard to find time to write, I usually do it like really late at night lol. But I love it, so its worth losing sleep over hahaha. I'm glad you are excited for the time jump..I think its time for it to happen! I hope you liked this chapter, and thank you for your review! I loved it!

**Brucas224- **I'm glad you are loving it! And of course, there is always more brucas J thanks for reviewing!

**Brucasfan23- **I'm glad you love this story! And don't die cuz the next update is here and its really long! Haha. Thanks for reviewing, I hope you like this chapter!

**OH and Sara! I hope life starts to not be so crazy for you! Just know that I am thinking about you! If you can't review I totally understand! You are the best! I love you BRF!!**


	30. Everything You Need

**A/N: Okay everyone! Here is the next chapter! Just as a reminder, I've jumped ahead in this chapter about 7 months... Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! The song in this one is 'Pocketful Of Sunshine' by Natasha BEdingfield. Don't forget to review, and ENJOY!!**_

* * *

_

_I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine. _

_I got a love, and I know that it's all mine._

**Chapter Thirty- Everything You Need**

Averie surprised her parents every day. At 9 months old, she was happy, healthy, and busy. With her newfound ability to crawl, she kept Brooke and Lucas on their toes. Averie had definitely lived up to her 'Sassy' nickname. She was easy going for the most part, but when she wanted something, she wanted it _now_. She loved to show off, and would do anything for attention. Lucas and Brooke loved watching their baby grow, and it seemed like she changed more and more everyday.

Brooke woke up when she heard babbling coming from the baby monitor next to her and Lucas' bed. She slowly opened her eyes and rolled over, noticing that Lucas' side of the bed was empty. After climbing out of bed she ran her fingers through her now shoulder length dark brown hair and made her way to Averie's room. Brooke and Averie stayed at Lucas' house for most of the week, but hadn't moved in all the way yet. She still had most of her stuff at her and Chae's apartment, but knew that she needed to consider moving out completely.

Brooke pushed open the white door, and smiled when she saw her precious baby sitting up in her crib, her bright blue eyes shining.

"Where's my girl?" Brooke sang into the room as she approached the crib. She peeked in and watched as Averie smiled up at her, the babies four tiny teeth and dimples in full view. Averie started to bounce happily, waving her chubby hands in the air and babbling as she stared up at her mom. Brooke reached her arms in and picked Averie up, hugging the baby close to her as she walked to the changing table. "Did you sleep good Ave?" Brooke asked as she laid the baby on the changing table. Brooke kissed Averie's tiny feet as she started to unbutton the baby's' pajamas so that she could change her diaper.

"Ma-ma-ma" Averie babbled reaching up to pull at Brooke's hair as she changed her.

"Should we go get you some breakfast?" Brooke asked, kissing Averie's forehead as she finished re-buttoning the pajamas. Brooke moved Averie's brown hair out of her eyes, securing it to the side with a tiny pink hair clip. She picked Averie back up and walked into the kitchen, putting Averie in her high chair and spilling some cheerios onto the tray to keep the baby occupied. Averie happily pounded on the tray of her high chair as she ate the cheerios.

Brooke looked through the cupboards, pulling out a plastic sippy cup with two handles. After filling the cup with baby formula she walked over to Averie, "Should we try a big girl cup today?" Brooke asked the baby who looked at the cup wearily. Brooke and Lucas had decided to start to try and get Averie off of her bottle, but so far they hadn't had much luck.

"Ba-ba" Averie told Brooke, still staring at the cup unsurely.

"This is just like your bottle, it's yummy milk" Brooke smiled to the baby as Averie moved her head to the side, obviously wanting nothing to do with the cup. "Mommy's gonna go get you some yummy breakfast" Brooke told Averie, setting the cup down on the tray and walking into the kitchen.

As soon as Brooke was across the room from Averie, she heard a crash. Looking over into the dining room, she saw her sweet little girl clapping her hands happily as the sippy cup laid on the ground where Averie had thrown it. Brooke inhaled deeply, shaking her head and getting a bottle out of the cupboard.

Brooke carried a tiny pink bowl and a newly made bottle into the dining room and sat down in a chair next to Averie. "Ready for some oatmeal?" Brooke asked.

"Gimme" Averie replied, reaching her hands out for the bottle that Brooke was holding. Brooke rolled her eyes, laughing lightly as she handed the little girl her bottle.

Neither Brooke, nor Lucas were surprised when the first recognizable word out of their perfect baby girls mouth was 'gimme'. Soon after that came the words mama, dada and ba-ba. Averie was a little chatterbox, always making some sort of noise and 'talking'.

After Brooke and Averie had finished eating breakfast they finished their morning routine. Averie played in the bathroom sink, splashing her little toes in the water while Brooke got ready for the day. After she was ready, she dressed Averie and brushed the tiny girls hair. For being so little she had a lot of it. She had always had a lot of hair ever since she was a baby, so Brooke wasn't surprised that it had grown so quickly. Averie's hair always fell into her face if Brooke didn't pull it back out of her eyes, and that drove Lucas crazy but Brooke refused to cut it.

"Where'd the purple monkey go?" Brooke asked, widening her eyes as she hid Averie's favorite stuffed animal under the pink blanket. Averie was sitting across from Brooke on the living room floor and began to happily kick her legs, making lots of noises and smiling widely as they played her favorite game. Averie crawled over to her mom, lifting up the pink blanket with one hand, grinning widely up at her mom when she found her monkey. "There it is! Ding-ding-ding-ding! You found it!" Brooke sang, tickling the little girls sides as Averie laughed and hugged the monkey against her.

The doorbell rang and Brooke stood from the floor, picking up Averie when she lifted her arms up to her mom. Lately Averie had become very attached to Brooke and Lucas. The little girl was starting to have separation anxiety, and would scream if one of her parents weren't in sight. Brooke walked to the door with Averie comfortably resting on her hip. She pulled it open and smiled, "Hey buddy."

"Hey" Chae grinned, stepping into the house so that Brooke could close the door. Chae turned her attention to Averie, bringing her face close to the tiny girl. "Hey Sassy! How's my favorite girl in the whole world?" Chae asked in baby talk, reaching her hands out and taking the smiley baby from her mom.

"What are you up to this morning?" Brooke asked as her and Chae walked into the living room.

"Not a whole lot" Chae shrugged, "I just thought I'd come see you guys before I head off to work."

Brooke nodded and sat down on the couch next to Chae who was happily bouncing Averie on her knees, making the little girl laugh uncontrollably. Averie had always loved Chae, ever since she was a baby, and Chae loved her even more. Brooke loved to see the special bond that they shared, and maybe that was part of the reason she hadn't moved out of her apartment yet and still stayed there at least once a week.

"So, how are things going with Josh?" Brooke asked, biting on her lip as she looked over at Chae.

"Good" Chae said plainly, keeping her attention on Averie. Ever since Chae and Jake had broken up Chae had been dating _a lot_. Brooke had a hard time keeping the guys straight, it seemed like every week there was a new one. Chae still missed Jake, but whenever she did miss him she just started dating even more. Josh had been around for a couple weeks now, and he seemed nice enough when he wasn't being annoying, but Chae still didn't seem happy.

"Good to hear" Brooke smiled at Chae.

"Where's Lucas?" Chae asked, changing the subject quickly so that they didn't have to talk about her new 'boy toy' as Brooke liked to refer to the guys in her life.

"He had a meeting with his editor this morning" Brooke explained, standing from the couch and starting to gather up Averie's toys that were strewn around the room.

"How is the book coming?" Chae asked, looking up at Brooke with a smile. She still couldn't believe the guy basically declared his love for Brooke in a book and was now publishing it. If that wasn't romantic, Chae didn't know what was.

"It's good, I think they are almost finished" Brooke smiled softly, putting all of the toys into a pink basket that had become a permanent object in the living room. "I think Luke is definitely ready for it to be done, I know _I'm _ready for it to be done. He's just been so stressed out lately…" Brooke sighed, "His editor just keeps trying to change things, and its driving him crazy. She wants him to be working on the damn thing constantly, she's always emailing him or setting up meetings…I swear if she doesn't calm down and back off I'm going to shove a _stiletto _up her _ass_!"

Chae laughed, shaking her head at Brooke, "Calm down Brookie" She laughed, "I don't think your mommy should be talking like that" Chae said to Averie, who babbled something back in return. "Yeah," Chae started again, this time looking up at Brooke. "Sassy agrees."

"Its seriously getting ridiculous" Brooke groaned, throwing a plastic toy into the pink basket, flinching when the toy started to sing.

"Jealousy doesn't suite you" Chae said with a smirk. Chae set Averie down on the ground as soon as she started to screech and squirm. They watched as the baby crawled straight for the basket of toys that Brooke had just cleaned up and started to take them out, throwing them around the room. "Well _invisible _Roomie, I better head off to work. But I'll talk to you later…"

Brooke sighed and stood from the floor, "Thanks for stopping by, we'll probably come over later." She walked Chae to the door, picking up Averie who started to cry as soon as Brooke tried to leave the living room. "Bye Chae" Brooke said, hugging her friend as she went to leave. Averie laid her head on Brooke's shoulder, lifting a tiny hand and waving bye to Chae.

When Chae left Brooke and Averie played until it was lunchtime. After Brooke fed Averie, they went into the very pink nursery and Brooke rocked Averie in the rocking chair until she fell asleep. Once it was naptime, Brooke got straight to work.

After Karen and Keith moved out, Brooke and Lucas went to work on the house. The first thing on Brooke's list was to get new couches that weren't covered in maroon flowers, and then buy a big bed for Lucas' room so they didn't have to sleep in his tiny twin bed. They turned Karen and Keith's bedroom into a workspace for Brooke so that she could get Clothes over Bro's back underway. Once Averie was 6 months old Brooke started the website again, and got an even larger response than before. It had gotten to the point where Brooke couldn't keep up with the orders, and no longer was able to make all of the clothes by herself.

She didn't want just anyone making her clothes, so she found someone who she could trust in the business. Her name was Trish and she had become a sort of mentor to Brooke. She knew all of the business sides of the fashion world and helped Brooke make decisions regarding her clothing line. Together, they found a business that they could hire to make Brooke's clothes. Brooke would send in sketches to them, along with one sample piece that she would make and then they would fill all of the clothing orders. It had worked out pretty well, and Brooke was getting more and more noticed for her clothing line. She had even had her clothes in a few smaller fashion shows, and it was great to see her line actually going somewhere.

Brooke always worked on sketches during naptime and today was no exception. She turned the baby monitor on in her small workroom and immediately went to work. Averie usually slept for at least a good 2 hours, giving Brooke a little while to herself. She hadn't been sketching for very long when she heard the front door open and close. She couldn't help but smile, Lucas was home.

When Chae and Jake broke up, Brooke seemed to lose some of her newfound faith in love. She started to pull away from Lucas and keep to herself. She didn't want to get hurt again like she had been before, it was a risk she wasn't sure if she could take. The more she pulled away, the more Lucas held on. He refused to give her the space that she begged for, and stuck by her through her hard time.

**Flashback**

**Lucas sat in Brooke and Chae's living room, waiting for Brooke. She finally came out of her bedroom, tired from a long day with a baby that loved to cry. **

"**You're still here?" Brooke asked, noticing Lucas sitting on the couch. She curled up on a chair, leaning her head back to rest.**

"**I told you I wasn't going anywhere" Lucas said with a smile. They sat in silence for awhile before Lucas finally spoke up again. "So it, looks like Chae's moving on…"**

**Brooke shook her head, obviously unhappy with the situation. "It's been three weeks and she's already dating! **_**Three weeks**_**!" Brooke tipped her head back, closing her eyes. Chae and Jake's sudden break-up had been the breaking point for Brooke. She had just started to finally trust Lucas again and she was actually happy. But her friends breaking up just reminded her that love wasn't guaranteed. It took her back to the place where she was when she was pregnant, hurt and alone. She didn't want to revisit that place, and she knew falling in love with Lucas was a big risk.**

**Lucas stood from the couch and walked towards Brooke, kneeling down in front of where she was sitting in the chair. She still had her head tipped back and her eyes closed, and Lucas knew he needed to bring her out of her thoughts. He reached for her hands, holding them in his as his thumbs gently caressed her soft skin. **

"**Brooke" he said softly, causing her to finally lift her head and look at him. Her eyes were welling up with tears and it broke his heart. "Brooke, **_**they **_**aren't **_**us**_**…that isn't going to happen to us. When I said I wasn't going to leave you I meant it." He looked into her eyes, his hands still holding tightly onto hers. "I love you Brooke."**

**Brooke breathed in deeply, trying to keep her true feelings for Lucas inside. They had so many conversations like this in the past three weeks, Lucas always trying to reassure her as she pulled away. When tears slowly fell from her eyes, Lucas stood up and leaned in towards Brooke, wrapping his arms around her. She buried her head into his chest while he held her tightly. "I love you" he whispered again into her hair. **

"**I…" Brooke started, wrapping her arms around Lucas. "I love you too" She confessed, her words coming out quiet while her voice was filled with raw emotion as she held onto Lucas tighter. **

**End Flashback**

Lucas walked through the house straight to where he knew his girlfriend would be. He looked into the room, and saw her sitting at her desk with her back to him. He lifted a hand to the door frame, lightly tapping on it, "Hey" he said as she turned around, a smile forming on her face. "How are the sketches?"

"Good" Brooke smiled, standing from the chair and meeting Lucas in the middle of the room. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his found her waist. Brooke stood on her tippy toes, her lips meeting Lucas'. She relaxed into the kiss, allowing Lucas to deepen it. She smiled against his lips before reluctantly pulling away causing Lucas to frown. "How did your meeting go?"

"Good actually" Lucas told her, before leaning down to try and kiss her again.

She pulled away, wriggling out of his arms before his lips could land on hers, "I _really _need to work on these sketches" Brooke told him regretfully, taking a seat in her chair. "But you can keep me company" she said, turning to give him a small smile.

Lucas pulled up a chair next to Brooke's, looking down at the dress she was sketching. "How has your day been?"

"Its been good. Ave has been in a really good mood and Chae came over for a little while" Brooke told him, still concentrating on her sketch. "How was _Lindsey _today?" Brooke asked, her tone changing immediately.

"She just keeps trying to make me change parts of the book…she's really insistent, but I just don't feel right about it" Lucas told her, "But I'm hoping it will be finished by next month and then we can publish it."

"I hope so too, you've been so busy with it and I guess I just miss you" Brooke said sadly with a shrug. Lucas had been so caught up in getting his book finished that she felt like he hadn't been around as much for her and Averie. He stayed up late writing and was always gone before she woke up. The few hours every day that he wasn't wrapped up with his laptop they were busy with Averie, and times like this when they could just sit and talk had become few and far between.

"I miss you too Pretty Girl" Lucas said sadly, lifting a hand to her face, "But I promise its gonna calm down soon…_and _I'm all yours for the rest of the day" he said with a smile, hoping that would cheer her up.

"That would be great if I didn't have a deadline to meet with these sketches" Brooke sighed. They both turned to the white plastic baby monitor when they heard Averie crying.

"I'll go get her" Lucas said, stopping Brooke before she could stand up. Brooke smiled at him thankfully, turning back to her work as he left the room. Lucas walked down the hall, opening the door to his daughters room. He smiled when he saw his baby standing in her crib, her hands gripping the bars tightly. Her tears immediately stopped when she saw her dad. "There's my baby" Lucas said happily, picking Averie up out of her crib.

She immediately leaned her head against his shoulder, one of her tiny hands holding onto her pink blanket tightly while the other gripped Lucas' shirt. "Did you have a good nap?" Lucas asked, rubbing the little girls back before laying her down on her changing table to change her diaper. Lucas reached down, pulling the pink binky from Averie's mouth causing her to smile. Once her binky was gone she started to babble, talking to Lucas in unrecognizable baby words.

When Averie was all changed Lucas picked her up, walking into the kitchen to find Averie a snack. "Ba-ba!" Averie said happily waving her arms around and kicking her legs into her dads sides.

Lucas smiled at his baby, kissing her forehead as he opened the cupboards. "Let's try a big girl cup" Lucas said with a huge goofy grin in hopes to sway his daughter as he reached for a small plastic cup.

"Already tried it today" Brooke said, walking into the kitchen behind them. "She was so not having it" Brooke said with a laugh. "Looks like you had a good nap" Brooke said to a smiling Averie before she ruffle the little girls hair and kissed her. When Averie reached her hands out, Brooke took her and then went and sat on a kitchen chair. "Chae just called, she wants to know if we want to go to dinner tonight with her and Josh."

Lucas walked into the dining room with a box of graham crackers and sat down next to Brooke, "Do you want to?" He asked, reaching into the box and handing Averie a cracker. It had always been kind of awkward whenever they went out with Chae and one of her new guys, and he knew it was really uncomfortable for Brooke.

Brooke shrugged, looking down at Averie, "I guess. She's one of my best friends and I need to try and be more supportive….even if I don't want to" Brooke said, the last part under her breath.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"God, I was wondering if you were ever going to make it!" Chae groaned as Brooke, Lucas and Averie came up to the table. They looked pretty stressed. Lucas was leading the way, carrying Brooke's big Chanel bag that was overflowing with Averie's things, and Brooke followed behind him, looking frazzled as she carried a whimpering Averie.

"Sorry" Brooke told Chae as she sat down, holding Averie on her lap. Lucas and Josh said hi while Brooke apologized to Chae. "Averie just had a mild meltdown while we were getting ready, you know how that goes…"

"Are you having a rough night?" Chae asked, bending down to Averie's level. Averie turned her head not wanting anything to do with Chae.

"You could say that" Lucas said with a laugh, wrapping an arm around Brooke.

Chae sat back down next to Josh, who just happened to be the complete opposite of Jake. He had blonde hair, that was long and messy. He looked like he just walked off of the beach with his tanned skin and surfer hair cut. He was really loud, making it hard for Brooke and Lucas to be around him for too long. It seemed like he never stopped talking, and was only interested in himself. But according to Chae he was a really nice guy…Brooke wasn't buying it. He was always very touchy with Chae when they were out in public, and loved to make jokes about Lucas walking away from basketball. He was pretty much just annoying.

"Teething has been rough" Brooke told Chae, receiving a bored look from Josh. Averie light whimpers started to turn into soft cries, so Brooke readjusted her so that the little girl could lay on Brooke's shoulder. "Luke, will you hand me her binky and blanky?" Brooke asked, rubbing the Averie's back when she started to squirm. Lucas dug around in Brooke's huge purse and finally located both, handing the pacifier to Averie and giving the pink blanket to Brooke.

"So…Lucas!" Josh said, his voice loud and overpowering. "Have you seen how well the Knicks are doing this season? That Roberts guy…Brooke's old boyfriend…damn, he's on fire!"

"Yeah, they are doing pretty good" Lucas said casually, hating when Josh brought up basketball. Lucas looked over at Brooke who was trying to calm down their baby and trying her hardest to ignore Josh.

"I bet you are mad at yourself for leaving him huh Brooke" Josh said with a laugh, reaching across the table and shoving Lucas' arm while receiving an icy glare from Brooke.

"Josh, _stop_" Chae warned in a whiney voice, knowing that he had crossed the line.

"Sorry, sorry" Josh said, holding his hands up in defeat, a wide grin still playing on his face.

"It's fine" Brooke said through gritted teeth, now trying to stay calm as well as keep her baby calm. Lucas placed a hand on her leg, rubbing it gently to let her know it was okay.

The rest of the dinner was stressful. Even though Josh had managed to keep his rude comments to a minimum, Averie was very cranky. Brooke hardly ate any of her dinner, taking most of it home in a take-out box. Lucas tried to keep conversation flowing at the table, if only for Chae's sake who desperately wanted everyone to get along. They had to leave earlier than expected so that they could get their baby home and to bed. Brooke promised to call Chae later and they quickly left the restaurant.

"He's such an ass" Brooke complained once they got home. She threw her purse on the counter and walked into the kitchen, followed by Lucas who was holding a cranky Averie.

"Just don't let him get to you" Lucas said with a sigh, receiving a glare from Brooke. He held his free hand up in defeat, "Brooke, I'm on your side, he is an ass. But just ignore him, and you know Chae will move on eventually."

"That's true" Brooke exhaled, turning towards the cupboard that held all of their medicine. She located a tiny white bottle and took it out, opening the lid and taking out two tiny white tablets. "Here's some teething tablets" Brooke said, handing Lucas the tiny tablets. "I just don't know why he has to make all those rude comments to you about basketball…and then talking about Kade like that…ugh!" Brooke groaned.

Lucas took the tiny pills from Brooke and gave them to a squirming Averie. She happily chewed on the tiny pills that dissolved in her mouth. "Hey" Lucas said to Brooke who was leaning against the counter, looking down at her hands obviously thinking. She looked up and over at him, "I love you" he told her when her eyes met his.

Brooke walked towards him, straight into his outreached arm and leaning against his body. "I love you too" she said quietly, glad that she had such an amazing boyfriend.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke rushed around her bathroom, trying to finish getting ready while keeping an eye on Averie who kept crawling away from her. She straightened her shorter than usual hair, lightly curling the ends. "Hey you! Get back here" Brooke called to Averie who was crawling away from her pile of toys and out of Brooke's site. Brooke threw her straightener onto the bathroom counter and rushed out of the room to find Averie crawling into the kitchen. Brooke reached down, picking Averie up mid-crawl "Alright Sassy, you need to stay in here with mommy until your dad decides to show up….don't make me get the playpen out" Brooke warned, setting Averie back down on the floor next to her toys. Averie babbled to Brooke, reaching for a rubber duck and starting to chew on it.

"I'm home" Lucas called through the house. Brooke breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lucas enter their bedroom.

"It's about time" Brooke growled from her spot in the adjoining bathroom. She ran her fingers through her hair, deciding that it was the best it was going to get.

"Sorry I'm late" Lucas told her, sitting down on the floor to say hi to Averie. "I got here as fast as I could."

Brooke shuffled through the clothes that she had in Lucas' closet, pulling out a black skirt with a matching jacket. She laid it on the bed and kicked her pajama pants off, pulling on the skirt. "Well, _maybe _if you thought about your _daughter _and your _girlfriend _more than your _book _and your _editor _I wouldn't be scrambling to get to my meeting!" Brooke scowled, trying to keep her voice down for Averie's sake. She pulled her tank top over her head, throwing it on the ground and walked over to the closet, pulling out a red top and pulling it over her head. "But no, that is just _way _too much to ask!" She finished, throwing her hands up in the air, grabbing her jacket and leaving the room.

Lucas picked up Averie, quickly leaving the room to find Brooke. She was in the kitchen, gathering her purse and draping it over her shoulder. "Brooke," Lucas said, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She looked up at him, obviously annoyed as hell. "I'm sorry. You and Averie are more important to me than anything…I'm sorry I was late but traffic was a nightmare." He brought his hand up to her cheek, and she relaxed into him. "I know you are stressed about your big meeting but you will do fine."

"I just can't screw this up and this morning has been a nightmare" Brooke sighed, biting on her lip, "It just would've been nice if you would've been here to help out."

"I'm sorry babe" Lucas frowned, wrapping his free arm around Brooke as he held Averie in his other.

Brooke leaned into Lucas' shoulder, "What if they don't like me or my clothes?"

Lucas leaned down, kissing the top of her head, "They will love you and your clothes, don't worry." Brooke nodded unsurely and looked up at Lucas. "Call me right when you get out of the meeting and let me know how it goes."

"I will" Brooke promised, placing a hand on each side of Averie's chubby cheeks, leaning in and kissing the baby. "Bye, I love you and" Brooke smiled, standing on her tippy toes to kiss Lucas, "I love you too" she said, waving to Averie who was waving bye to her mom.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Brooke, you did great in there" Trish smiled as they walked out of Macy's corporate offices. Trish was tall and had short strawberry blonde hair. She was always dressed perfectly and was pretty. The good thing about her was that she was extremely smart and educated.

"Thanks" Brooke smiled up at the older lady, "But really, you did most of the work, I just showed up…"

They stopped at the sidewalk, and Trish raised her arm to hail a cab. "Well, I'm proud of you" Trish smiled, resting a hand on Brooke's shoulder. A cab pulled up to the sidewalk and Trish opened the car door, "Now you go home and celebrate with that cute little family of yours."

Brooke couldn't help but smile, a big goofy, dorky smile. "Thanks again Trish" Brooke said, throwing her arms around her friend.

Brooke climbed into the cab, Trish still had a hand on the door, "Don't forget, you have sketches due soon!" Trish smiled at Brooke, closing the cab door and waving at Brooke as the cab pulled away.

Brooke leaned back into the seat of the cab, closing her eyes and smiling widely. She reached for her phone and quickly speed dialed Lucas' number.

"_Hello?" Lucas asked into the phone._

"Hey Broody boy" Brooke said happily, not able to hide the excitement from her voice. She could hear Averie making tons of noise in the background causing her to forget why she was calling in the first place, "What's going on there?"

"_She's pulling all of the Tupperware out of the cupboards" Lucas sighed into the phone._

"Welcome to my life" Brooke said with a slight laugh, secretly excited to get back home to it.

"_So, what happened? How did the meeting go?" Lucas asked, bending down to start picking up the Tupperware that was covering the kitchen floor and surrounding his blue eyed baby._

"It went really good!" Brooke shrieked into the phone, unable to control her happiness. "They want to sell Clothes over Bro's in their store! This is _huge _Luke!"

"_I knew they would love you. I think you and me might have to celebrate after Averie goes to sleep" Lucas said playfully._

"Ooo, I like the sounds of that Mr. Scott" Brooke grinned, raising an eyebrow. "I'm on my way home…I'll see you soon!"

Brooke couldn't believe that Macy's wanted to sell her clothes. When Trish told her that Macy's had seen her designs and like what they saw, Brooke thought it was a joke. But a week ago when they called her and asked to set up a meeting so they could talk about them selling C/B Brooke was shocked. She had no idea her little High School website would turn into so much more, and she couldn't be happier.

At 22, she had much more than she could've ever dreamed of. She definitely never thought she would ever have children, let alone think that she'd have a child so young. But she loved that little girl more than anything and wouldn't trade her for the world. She had a loving and caring boyfriend, and even though they had their slight arguments, they were pretty much perfect for each other. Lucas was the complete opposite of Kade, and that was most definitely a good thing. And now, her clothes. Her fashion designs were going to be sold in one of the most popular department stores around the U.S. Life couldn't get much better than this.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke walked past Averie's room later that night, stopping against the opened door and peeking in. Lucas was sitting in the rocking chair with Averie on his lap. She had on pink and white striped pajamas and was holding onto her blanket while her purple monkey sat next to her on Lucas' lap. Lucas was reading her a book like he did every night, and Brooke watched as Lucas ran his hand through Averie's wild brown hair. Averie stared at the book while he read, sucking on a pacifier and reaching her foot out to rest it on the bottom of the book. Brooke loved watching the two together, Lucas loved Averie so much and Averie practically worshiped her dad already.

Lucas looked up from the book and smiled as he noticed Brooke standing in the doorway. She walked into the room, kneeling down next to the chair and holding Averie's tiny hand that she had reached out to her mom. Brooke sat as Lucas finished reading the book, and luckily for them Averie's eyes were starting to slowly close and open…the sign that she would be asleep in no time. Lucas stood from the chair and Averie immediately laid her head down on his shoulder, holding her soft blanket by her cheek.

"Goodnight Ave, sleep good" Lucas whispered to the tiny girl, moving her hair out of her face and kissing her forehead.

Lucas handed the baby to Brooke who kissed her as well. "Night baby, we love you" she told Averie before laying the baby down in her crib and covering her with a blanket. Averie lifted a fisted hand up to her sleepy eyes and rubbed them. She then lifted her other hand, waving at her parents that were still peering into the crib. They watched as her eyes slowly fluttered shut and quietly left the room.

"Well, that was amazing" Brooke grinned, closing the door behind her and Lucas, surprised that Averie had fallen asleep so quickly.

"Record timing I'd say" Lucas agreed with a smile.

Brooke walked into her and Luke's room, and didn't notice that he wasn't following her. She immediately walked toward her dresser and pulled out a pair of tiny boxer shorts to sleep in, throwing them on the bed. Brooke took her skirt off, happy to finally get out of it, she reached for her boxers and started to pull them on.

"Wait a second" Lucas said thoughtfully as he entered the room, "Why are you getting dressed when you know I'm just gonna take those off of you?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"Good point" Brooke said with a smirk, walking towards him and wrapping her arms around his neck. She brought her face closer to his, their lips almost touching and then she stopped. "What are you hiding behind your back?" She asked him, her eyes widening as a smile formed on her face.

Lucas had a sly smile on his face as he pulled his arms out from behind him, holding a small carton of ice cream in one hand and a can of whipped cream in the other, "Celebrating, remember?"

Brooke removed her hands from his neck, taking the ice cream and whipped cream from him, she walked towards the bedside table and placed the two items there. "Well, I think _that _will come in handy _later_" she told him with a wink, walking back towards Lucas. Brooke brought her hands to the collar of his shirt, running her fingers along the stiff fabric. She shivered as she felt his cool finger tips run under the waistband of her boxer shorts. They stared into each others eyes for a few seconds that felt like hours. Brooke bit on her bottom lip and gasped when Lucas' lips landed abruptly on hers.

As Brooke unbuttoned Lucas' shirt expertly while keeping her lips glued to his, Lucas walked her backwards to the bedroom door. Lucas reached his hand out, pushing the door shut. He continued moving until Brooke's back was pushed up against the door.

"Mmm….Lucas" Brooke got out breathlessly in-between kisses, "…doorknob" She said, pushing against his chest that was now free of his shirt.

"Hmm?" Lucas questioned, trying to keep his lips on Brooke's as he pushed on her shorts, pushing and pulling until they fell down her legs.

Brooke removed her lips from Lucas', kicking her shorts off of her feet. "The doorknob was in my back" she said with a laugh, linking two fingers through Lucas' belt loops and guiding him towards the bed.

"Sorry" Lucas said sheepishly as Brooke brought a finger up to his lips to silence him. As she unbuttoned his jeans she replaced her finger that was resting on his mouth with her lips.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The next morning Brooke groaned when she heard Averie crying from her crib. She sluggishly got out of bed, threw on a pair of pajama pants and went into her baby's room.

"Ma-ma" Averie smiled once Brooke opened her bedroom door.

Brooke smiled, tiredly walking over to the crib. She pushed Averie's hair out of her face and kissed her forehead before lifting the baby from her crib. "Did you sleep good last night huh Sassy?"

Averie babbled and smiled, tangling her fingers in Brooke's hair. Brooke sat down in the rocking chair, hugging Averie against her until she started to squirm. She set Averie down on the floor and watched as Averie immediately crawled to a basket of toys. Brooke leaned back into the chair, closing her eyes. She figured as long as she could _hear _Averie she didn't necessarily have to _see _her.

Brooke's rest in the rocking chair only lasted a few minutes before Averie crawled over to her and pulled on her pant legs. Brooke opened her eyes, leaning down and picking up her baby.

"Ba-ba" Averie pouted, pinching Brooke's cheeks.

"Okay, lets change you and go get you some breakfast" Brooke told Averie, standing from the chair against her will.

After changing Averie she took her into the kitchen and got the baby some breakfast. Brooke sat in a chair next to Averie's high chair and fed her yogurt and a cut up banana. She rested her head in one hand as she fed a very lively and wide awake Averie with the other.

"Someone looks tired" Lucas announced, walking into the room and setting a bag down on the counter.

"Yeah, and its totally _your _fault" Brooke whined, giving Averie a bite of banana.

"If I remember correctly" Lucas said, lifting a finger to his chin. He walked towards Brooke and Averie, leaning down to kiss Averie's forehead. He then sat down next to Brooke, "_You _were the frisky one that moved the celebration to the shower _after _the bed."

"Well next time, will you kindly remind me that I'm gonna have to wake up with your daughter at 7 in the morning" Brooke said with a sarcastic smile, giving Averie another bite when she started to pound on her tray.

"Hmmm" Lucas sighed as he thought about it, "I don't think that will work…you just can't resist me."

"Hey buddy" Brooke said, pointing a finger at him, "don't push it, I'm tired."

Lucas smiled at her, running his fingers through her chocolate hair before leaning towards her and kissing her slowly. He pulled away from her, still smiling, "I brought bagels home" he told her, watching as she started to look more awake.

"Mmm" Brooke grinned, handing the tiny purple bowl to Lucas, "In that case, you can finish up here and I'm going to eat." She stood from her chair, happily patting Lucas' chest before leaving him to feed Averie.

"Mommy is silly" Lucas said to Averie as he fed her. He leaned in, his face now closer to his daughters, "You wanna know a secret? I can't resist her either" he whispered, tapping a finger Averie's tiny nose.

**

* * *

**

A/N: I hope you guys all liked it! Sorry it took me so long, I just wanted to get it right…It's not exactly what I wanted but its close enough and I was getting really antsy to post it. It's so weird writing about Lindsey in this story because I'm Lindsay haha. I guess its just weird to write your own name. But I guess its okay since she spells it differently! Don't forget to review, I'm lacking inspiration for this story right now and your reviews always help! You guys are the best!! XOXOX Linds

…**Thank You's…**

**Dolcegrazia- **You are the very first reviewer, again! I don't know how you do it, but you are pretty good at reading and reviewing before anyone else! I'm glad you loved the long chapters! I'm glad you liked Karen and Lily's reactions to Brooke and Averie. And don't worry, Jake will still be making appearances in the story J Thanks for always reviewing!!

**Lilohb- **Hashanah lets get it on is right! I'm glad you liked the chapter! Sad for Chae and Jake I know, but I'm glad you understand! Thanks for reviewing!

**Reina123- **I'm glad you liked the chapter! I hope you like this one! Thanks for reviewing!

**Bella- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Yay Brucas finally hooked up. Hashanah. It is kind of how they started their relationship, except this time they actually have something to build on, which is good!! Thanks for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!

**Whiters- **I'm sad about Chae and Jake too….but people who are meant to be together always find their way in the end! Don't be scared, by the end of this story Brucas will be happy, I promise J I'm glad you love Chae, its been surprising to see how much people do actually love her. It totally makes me happen that people have taken to her so well considering she's totally fictional! Anyways, thanks for the great review!!

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)-** hahah I'm glad you loved the freakishly long chapter! I'm excited for summer too. I'm so jealous that you get to go to Wilmington! I wanna go so baaaad! OMG brucas was totally cute last week. I loved them. I need to watch last nights episode, I did see the preview though for next week and I'm scared for lucas. He looks drugged and peytons trying to rape him. What a nightmare! Hhaha I'm glad chake is your favorite fake couple. Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this chapter! Xoxox!

**Jem (flipflopgal)- **I'm so glad you love my story J that like makes my day. I'm glad you loved the long chapter! Chae and Jake were sad, I was sad about it too but it had to be done! Hahaha. I'm glad you love Averie, she is great, and so much more fun to write now that she's older! I hope you liked this chapter and thanks for reviewing!

**Onetreehillgirl066- **Yeah, first review totally doesn't matter lol. I love all reviews just the same! Peyton actually will be making an appearance probably in the next chapter, so yeah…exciting! Thanks for reviewing!

**Pink5288- **I'm glad you loved the loooong chapter! I hope you like this one too! Thanks for reviewing!

**Team Davis-Scott- **Aww, thank you for the very nice review! I'm glad you are loving this story! I'm glad you love Chae and Jake together! You are right, Brucas are better, but Chake is a close second. I'm glad you love Lucas in this story. I've began to hate him on the show so I kinda changed him a little for this ;) Thanks so much for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!

**Brucas224- **I'm glad you loved the last chapter! Don't worry, the other characters will be making appearances here and there! Thanks for reviewing!

**Brillant brunette- **I love Chae and Jake together too! I'm glad you loved Brucas in the last chapter! Thanks for reviewing!!

**Brucas333- **hahahaa finally a sex scene. Everyone has been waiting! Sad for Chae and Jake I know L I'm glad you liked the chapter though! Thanks for always reviewing!

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- **I'm soo happy you loved the chapter! I'm glad you loved all of the brucas moments, any brucas moment is amazing! I'm sad about Chae and Jake too! But it had to be done! Thanks for the review and telling me what you thought! I love to hear it! I hope you like this chapter!!

**OTHbrucas4ever- **I know, so sad about Chae and Jake! I'm glad you loved all of the brucas moments and the 'I love you'! That was exciting! Thanks for reviewing!

**Jen (courtneylovejason)- **For the record, I always like to tell you to be upset. Just because its fun to get you worked up. I only do it out of love though I don't think this chapter will upset you though. If it does you have issues lol. I'm so happy that your long rambling thoughtful reviews are back. I missed it last time. I can't even comment on all of it lol. So just know I love it. But I loved your 'power couple' remark. That was so funny. You are crazy, I love it! I hope you like this chapter, go read it! And thanks for the fuuuun reviews hahaha.

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)- **I keep wanting to call you a bad word but it doesn't bleep it out on here so I'm gonna refrain, sadly. Hahaha I love that you almost cried at the last chapter! That's so funny. I'm laughing at you! Ha ha! If brucas and chake moved in together the story would be over lol. I'm glad you liked the freaking long chapter though. I mean I thought you would. I loved your review. It was long and crazy. You are crazy. Hoe. Hahaha. I couldn't help it. So I hope you like this chapter. Oh and ps I just saw pics and an article about james and soph. I'll send you the link J uummm. I hope you are doing good on 'finals'. I love you! Thanks for reviewing! Oh and I'm really nervous, I hope Lucas doesn't get raped next episode. That would be a downer.

**Katherine- **I'm glad you liked the super loooong chapter. Okay so your review was so long and amazing and perfect and I'm not going to be able to comment on everything so just know that I seriously loved it all and you never cease to amaze me. You are by far the best reviewer! I love the karen/brooke relationship so I just had to add that in there. Hahaha I'm so glad you mentioned the part about lucas walking out in only his boxers….I like the visual I get there too hhaa. You are so funny. We need brucas on the show! I'm making up for the lack of brucas here though, its awesome cuz I can make them do and act however I want them to act! Its pretty great! I'm glad I've gotten better at the more initmate scenes, it is kind of like weird to write about and its definitely one of the things I struggle with, so I'm glad that I've improved on that! Hahaha I love how you worded the 'lucas doing laps around brooke' part, that's great. I like to see lucas turn into putty around her and beg for forgiveness. I'm glad you understood the whole Jake/Chae thing too! It's sad, but it had to happen! Well, I really looooved your review as usual! It was amazing. Thank you for always being so honest and just telling me what you thought about everything! I really appreciate it! I always watch for your reviews, so I'll be waiting for your next one J thank you so much Katherine! You are the best J I hope you like this chapter J

**Onetreefan- **I know, so sad for Chae and Jake! But don't worry! I hope you like this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23)- **Hey BIF! I'm glad you loved that chapter. Of course you would. You always do J I think we've already talked about it though so I guess I don't really need to talk about it here hahaha. Alright little promoter, I hope you like this chapter, I'm sure you will though! You are the best! I love you! Thanks for always reviewing!!

**Othfan326- **hahaha yes, totally long and eventful! I'm glad you understand why Chae and Jake broke up, its sad, but it just had to happen. I'm glad you loved Brucas in this chapter, they were cute, hot, and amazing haha. I hope you like this chapter! I always love reading your reviews, so thank you for reviewing!!

**IamCaroline- **I'm glad you liked the very long chapter! I always loved Brooke and Karen's relationship, so I just had to add it J I agree, Lily is so cute! I love her! Hahahaa you must be very happy, cuz brucas was definitely happy in the last chapter. I love happy brucas. It is the best! I'm glad you loved the last chapter! I hope you like this one! Thanks for always leaving great reviews!

**Erika- **I'm glad your mom is home now. That is good to hear. I hope she just keeps getting better and better J hahaha I totally added the chocolate therapy part for YOU!! Yay for Brucas hooking up too ha-ha. that's always exciting! Hahaha yeah, lucas is writing a book. But after reading this chapter you'll get more insight on that! I'm so glad you loved the last chapter! I hope you love this one too! Thanks for reviewing, I always love your reviews J ily!!

**Tanya (tanya2byour21)- **I'm so happy that you are loving this story!! Thank you for the very nice review! I love hearing what you have to say! I hope you like this chapter!

**Natalie (iluvmedou)- **hahaha the beginning nearly gave you heart failure! Is that good or baad?? I'm guessing good, but bad for your heart? Haha. You are too funny. Haha sad for Chae and Jake, but at least brucas hooked up haha. I'm glad you were totally excited for that. I mean I figured you would be J hahaha. Thanks for the review! I love your reviews!

**Kate- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Amazing is a pretty cool word to describe it with J Its awesome that you love this story! That like makes my day! I hope you like this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

**Chebelle- **hahaha its okay, I start summer classes in a week. So I only got like a week off of school but it was still nice. I cant believe you are in school til june! That sucks! But when I was in High School we had to stay in school til june so I know how that goes! I'm glad you liked the long chapter! Jake and Chae was sad, I agree! Hahaha lucas does love brooke! He can't help it! I'm glad you liked the long chapter, and I hope you liked this one as well! Thank you for always reviewing, I love them!!

**Chasitybsp- **hahaha of course that chapter was your favorite! That was a good opening line to your review, I loved it! Haha. Finally brucas hooked up! Wahoo! It is sad about Chae and Jake, but you are right, people who are meant to be together always find their way in the end! Haha. Thanks for the review! I hope you like this chapter!


	31. I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight

**A/N: Finally an update! I don't know why, but I was having some serious trouble with this one. It's sort of a filler chapter, and that might be part of the reason why. But even though nothing huge happens in this one, there are still a few things that needed to be done. So anyways, I'm sorry it took so long, I hope that now I can get back into writing this story…your reviews always help me when I'm lacking inspiration. But I do love this story, and I love all of my amazing readers/reviewers. I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for always being so patient with me ****J**** the song is called 'Angel' and is by the amazing Jack Johnson (swoon). Enjoy!!**

* * *

_She wears a heart that can melt my own _

_She wears a smile that can make me wanna sing_

…

_But you're so busy changing the world _

_Just one smile can change all of mine _

**Chapter Thirty One- I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight**

"So are you going to come with us? I mean, you kind of have to decide soon, we leave in three days" Brooke said into the phone with an annoyed sigh as she pushed the metal grocery cart down the snack isle.

"_It might be weird to see __**him**__" Chae mumbled into the phone._

"Well, I guess its up to you" Brooke said with a shrug. Averie started to kick her white sandals against the metal cart, reaching up at her mom from the small seat as her babbling words quickly turned to high pitched squeals. "Here Ave" Brooke said to the baby, as she pulled a pacifier from her purse and handed it to her. "Sorry, she's freaking out" Brooke explained to Chae, "But at least think about it, I know Haley really would like it if you came."

"_I want to, I just don't want it to be awkward" Chae whined._

"I know-" Brooke started, stopping as soon as Averie threw her binky onto the ground yelling 'No'…her new favorite word…and started to full on cry. "Hey, let me call you back" Brooke told Chae just as an older lady down the isle started to stare. Brooke flipped her phone shut and shoved it in her purse. "Alright little miss attitude" Brooke said, laughing and rolling her eyes when Averie stopped crying as soon as the cell phone was stowed away. "I'm all yours now" Brooke told her as Averie started to babble again, happy now that all attention was back on her.

They continued walking down the isle, Averie babbling as Brooke put random items in the cart. Brooke was excited to visit Tree Hill. They were going for Max's first birthday, and even Lucas was going to be able to come. It was weird to think that Max was already going to be a year old, because that meant that in only two short months Averie would be a year old as well. Brooke couldn't wait to see her friends, especially Haley, and she was excited to see Averie and Max together. They were at such fun ages, with Averie crawling like a maniac and Max actually walking now, Brooke knew they were in for trouble.

"Alright kiddo" Brooke said as she turned down into the baby isle, "Should we get you some baby food?" Brooke asked in an extra cheery voice as she put a package of diapers into the cart. Averie babbled, waving her pink blanket around as she 'talked' to her mom. "Here we go" Brooke smiled at the baby as she put a few jars of the baby food into the cart. "We better get you some snacks too huh?" Brooke asked, reaching for some baby safe crackers that dissolved in your mouth and tasted like apples.

Averie babbled and Brooke couldn't help but just smile at her baby. She was the cutest thing Brooke had ever seen that was for sure. Her big blue eyes sparkled, her eyes lighting up whenever she saw her mom or dad. Averie's tiny teeth and her dimples that seemed to pop when she smiled made her even that much cuter. Her hair was getting longer and thicker, dark and whispy, with a pink bow holding her long hair out of her face. Brooke loved the way she would swing her legs, causing her white sandals to clank against the metal cart. She was so cute in her denim overalls and ruffled pink shirt, her tiny toenails painted a light pink color…she was definitely Brooke's little girl.

"I just love you!" Brooke smiled, leaning down and kissing Averie's forehead. Averie closed her eyes and smiled big before she babbled back, the words 'mama' and 'dada' coming in here and there. Brooke continued down the isle, her high heeled shoes clicking against the ground as she walked. "Where is your dad?" Brooke asked under her breath as they left the baby isle. Averie reached a tiny hand out, placing it on top of Brooke's as she pushed the cart. Brooke was so focused on Averie that she barely heard the faint voice calling her name.

"Brooke?" the voice said again only louder this time, causing her to look up.

Brooke stopped, trying to figure out if she was seeing things. She pulled on her black sweater nervously, reaching one hand up to tuck her dark hair behind her ears.

"It _is _you" she said with a shrill laugh as she shook her head, causing blonde curls to move from side to side.

Brooke stared at Peyton, and was obviously shocked. The only times she had seen the blonde was at basketball gatherings, and she was always well put together. Lucas had told Brooke that Peyton had gotten into drugs, but she still didn't expect to see her like this. She had on torn up black jeans and a long grey tank top. Over the tank top she wore a ratty flannel shirt, and her blonde curly hair was dirty and tangled. It looked like she was in desperate need of a good, long shower. Her green eyes had dark bags underneath them, and they were sunken into her face while her cheekbones seemed to protrude out. She just looked plain unhealthy. Brooke didn't even know what to say to her, and it was making her nervous to see Peyton's blood shot eyes look her up and down and then travel to Averie.

"Look's like you and Lucas didn't waste any time" Peyton said smugly, nodding towards Averie who was sitting in the cart with her back to Peyton. "Or is she Kade's?"

Brooke didn't know what to say to Lucas' ex who was obviously strung out on drugs. She breathed in deeply and was relieved when she felt a hand sliding across her lower back and fingers digging into her side, pulling her close.

Lucas bent down to her ear, his arm now firmly placed on her waist. "There you are, I've been looking for you two everywhere" he said in her ear, his attention focused purely on her as he lightly kissed her cheek. Brooke stood still, waiting for Lucas to look up and notice Peyton standing there.

"Luke" Brooke said softly as he still leaned into her, obviously not caring that they were in the middle of a crowded grocery store.

"Aww, isn't that sweet" Peyton said sarcastically, narrowing her eyes and smiling as Lucas looked up at her, shock taking over all of his features.

"Peyton?" Lucas said in disbelief as his eyes widened at the sight of his ex wife. She definitely didn't look good, and he would give anything to wipe that smug look off of her face.

"Surprised to see me?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"A little" Lucas said honestly with a shrug. He kept his arm around Brooke while putting his free hand on the grocery carts handle. Averie began pulling on his fingers immediately. "You don't look so good, and it sure didn't take you long to run your little art gallery into the ground." Lucas could tell he hit a nerve when her eyes narrowed at him and her lips formed a straight line across her face.

"That's not funny" Peyton said bitterly, her fingers pulling on her shirt. "And honestly it isn't any of _your _business."

"Except it is," Brooke started, pursing her lips together as she nodded, "Where did the money come from to start it?"

"_You're _still a bitch" Peyton growled, stepping closer to Brooke and Lucas.

"You've crossed the line" Lucas warned, letting go of Brooke and stepping in between her and Peyton. "Don't you _ever _say anything like that about her again, now I think you should be going."

Peyton glared at the Brooke and Lucas, "The truth hurts" She spat out, before turning around and walking away.

Lucas relaxed, turning around to face Brooke. She brought a hand up to his chest, "Never a dull moment" She said with a wink, letting him know that she wasn't phased by the little run in with the blonde bitch. Brooke frowned, "Stop brooding, its fine."

"Did you see the way she was looking at you and Averie? How would it not make me upset?" Lucas asked, putting both hands on the cart and pushing it through the store.

Brooke linked her arm through his as they walked, "she's obviously jealous" Brooke said, dismissing the whole thing with a shake of her head in true Brooke Davis fashion. "Anyways, the magazine comes out tomorrow" She said, biting on her lip and looking up at Lucas nervously.

At that Lucas couldn't help but smile down at her, "And you know, I will be the first one here to buy it." Brooke slapped him on the chest, knowing that he just wanted to tease her and get her going just because she was nervous.

Last week, only 11 days after she had officially signed on with Macy's, In Style magazine called her and wanted to do a last minute interview to feature in their newest magazine. She hesitantly agreed, after talking with Trish and realizing that it would be great publicity for her clothing line.

Her clothes had been featured in magazines before, but it wasn't anything big. This time around, they actually interviewed her about the company. When this article comes out, they will be revealing the face, the brains, and the girl behind Clothes Over Bro's, and it was pretty scary for Brooke. They mainly talked about the clothing line and what is new with it, but they also asked her about her personal life too, and that made her a little squeamish. She was used to being referred to as 'the girl that's dating Lucas Scott', and wasn't even surprised when she saw candid paparazzi pictures of them in magazines anymore. The bigger her clothing line got, the more attention it brought to her and that was fine, she just worried about Averie. She didn't want her daughter to get caught in the mess, and she already hated it when paparazzi tried to get pictures of the little girl. But Brooke figured she was just going to have to get used to it, because now she was starting to be noticed as _Brooke Davis: fashion designer _instead of _the girl dating the ex basketball player_.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The next morning Lucas woke up early as like always. Brooke's head was laying on his bare chest, her arm sprawled across him. She was still sleeping soundly as usual, and he moved the hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear and kissing the top of her head. After untangling his legs from hers, he climbed out of bed, pulling on a pair basketball shorts and a t-shirt. He watched as Brooke smiled in her sleep, rolling over to the warm side of the bed that he had occupied moments before. She immediately curled into a ball, snuggling her head into the pillow. Watching her, all he could think about was climbing back into bed with her, and waking her up in a number of exhilarating ways. He let those thoughts slip from his mind, deciding to let her get some much needed sleep.

He walked across the hall, slowly opening Averie's bedroom door. Looking in the crib, he saw his baby still sleeping, her pink blanket held in her tiny fingers and a pacifier in her mouth. It was still pretty early, and he figured both of his girls would get at least another hour of sleep before Averie decided to wake up. He made sure there was a clean diaper and baby wipes on the changing table for Brooke before quietly leaving the pink room.

The kitchen was his next stop. After making himself a protein drink, he set the coffee maker so that it would automatically turn on in 45 minutes, and if his timing was right, the coffee would be done by the time Brooke woke up. Lucas wrote a quick note to Brooke, letting her know that he would be back soon.

After shaking his water bottle once more, he took a long swallow of the grainy drink and left the house for his morning work out. He usually drove down to the gym, but this morning he decided he would just run. After stretching his legs, he set out with a slow pace at first. He ran to the nearest grocery store that was a little over three miles away, and by the time he got there his shirt was damp with sweat. He didn't care though and went in to buy the magazine anyways.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke held her eyes shut tightly when a loud shrill ringing noise from her nightstand woke her up. It took her a few minutes during her still sleeping state to realize that it was actually her cell phone making the horrible noise. She rolled over in the bed, reaching towards the nightstand, her hands fumbling around until they felt the phone. She flipped it open, lifting the small phone to her ear while keeping her eyes tightly shut.

"Hello?" She said into the phone, her voice extra raspy as it was still consumed in sleep.

"_Good morning princess" Haley said into the phone, a smile practically radiating through her voice._

Brooke groaned, Haley was way to cheery and awake. "What's going on?" Brooke asked, her voice still hoarse. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, looking at the clock and sighing, Averie would be awake soon. "God Hales, its not even 7 yet…"

"_Well Miss Fashionista" Haley grinned, "I'm just sitting here reading about my amazingly successful and important best friend."_

"What-" Brooke started, not having the slightest clue about what Haley was talking about. Before Haley could respond, Brooke remembered. "The magazine" she said with a sigh.

"_Yeah the magazine dummy" Haley said with a laugh, knowing Brooke could see her rolling her eyes through the phone. "There is the cutest picture of you and Luke and Ave." Haley gushed._

Brooke climbed out of bed, pulling a robe on over her barely there silk nightgown. "Where is it from? I didn't give them one" Brooke said, a yawn escaping her mouth as she walked down the hall, tip-toeing past Averie's room hoping that the baby would stay asleep.

"_It looks like you guys are walking down the street, Averie's in the stroller and you are pushing it, Lucas is hugging you from behind" Haley explained, looking down at the picture and giving Brooke every detail. "It's like the cutest picture ever, you guys are both smiling like complete idiots" Haley said with a laugh._

"Hmm" Brooke sighed in thought. "At least it's a good one I guess" she said casually.

"_You haven't seen it yet?" Haley asked, almost in shock._

"Lucas is so sweet" Brooke gushed into the phone, a long and happy sigh escaping her lips as she leaned against the counter, smiling widely and ignoring Haley completely.

"_Why?" Haley asked, scrunching her face up at how random her best friend could be._

"He always sets the coffee maker so that its all freshly made by the time I wake up" Brooke explained as she pulled a coffee mug out of the cupboard, filling it up with the hazelnut and vanilla flavored coffee.

"_Yeah, yeah, whatever" Haley mumbled, suddenly there was a loud crash in the background that Brooke clearly heard, "Uh, I'll call you back B." Haley said into the phone, her voice loud and rushed, "Maaaax!" Brooke heard Haley call before the line went dead._

Brooke shrugged, placing her phone on the counter and drinking the warm liquid, immediately feeling awake. She set the mug on the counter and started to get Averie's breakfast ready, getting a green plastic bowl out of the cupboard and a purple sippy cup, hoping that Averie would give it a chance today. She got a jar of baby food out along with a box of rice cereal, and just as she was about to mix the two together she heard the front door open and close.

She skipped towards the living room, smiling as she saw Lucas pulling off his sweaty t-shirt. "Did I ever tell you how _sexy _you are when your all sweaty?" She asked with a playful smirk, watching Lucas' eyes light up as he pulled the shirt off and looked at her. It was amazing how with just one look from him she felt like a different person. He looked at her as if she held the moon and the stars in the sky, as if she was the most important person in the world, and like nothing else mattered when his eyes were locked onto hers.

He stepped towards her, his hands immediately traveling underneath the robe and onto her waist, pushing at the silky fabric that clung to her skin. "Mmm" he sighed, "I don't think you have" and with that he locked his lips onto hers. He ran his tongue along her lips before it roamed her mouth completely. Her hands traveled all over his bare chest, before gripping onto his toned arms. He started to gather the tiny silk nightgown in his fingers, pulling at the fabric so that it lifted farther and farther up her thigh. When she pulled herself even closer into him, closing off any space that was previously in between the two, he responded by moving one of his legs in between both of hers, causing her to moan against his lips.

"_Ma-ma-ma" _they heard from down the hall, and they reluctantly pulled apart. Their breathing was heavy and ragged, and Lucas leaned his forehead against Brooke's in attempt to catch his breath.

Brooke smiled at him, "I'll go get her" She said, pulling away even though his hand still lingered on her hip, "_You _might want to go take a cold shower though" She said with a smile and a raised eyebrow as she nodded downwards.

Lucas groaned, thinking it probably wasn't such a bad idea. He watched as Brooke skipped out of the room and disappeared from sight. He picked his shirt up off of the floor and grabbed the magazine that he had dropped onto the couch.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke and Lucas sat on the floor with Averie while she contently played with her toys. She had just found out that if she pounded on the piano, it would light up and sing to her. Every time her tiny fist made contact with the plastic toy, she erupted into giggles, clapping and kicking her legs as the toy lit up and sang. Lucas and Brooke loved watching her play, and they laughed just about as much as she did. It was so funny to see her face light up when the piano did, and they couldn't help but find it unbelievably cute.

Brooke leaned against Lucas, looking from Averie to the magazine that was resting in his lap. "So, I can probably guess that every guy is jealous of me today" Lucas said nonchalantly as he stared down at the magazine.

"How so?" Brooke asked, sitting up and looking at him, her eyebrows narrowed.

"Have you seen this picture of you?" Lucas asked, his eyes wide as he tapped the left side of the magazine. There was a huge picture of Brooke that the magazine had taken and looking at it took Lucas' breath away. She was wearing a C/B turquoise silk halter top that had an empire waist with beading details. Her hair was straight, the ends touching her bare shoulders. Surprisingly they had chosen a picture of her actually smiling, her straight white teeth showing between her perfect rosy lips and dimples adorning her cheeks. She looked amazing in the picture, no one could deny that.

"Shut up" Brooke said, rolling her eyes before leaning her head back onto his shoulder.

"'_Brooke Davis is on the fast track to fame, with a top selling clothing line and a partnership with Macy's, this is one girl that can't be stopped'_" Lucas quoted from the magazine, then looked down at Brooke, placing a hand over his heart, "How am I ever going to keep up with you?" He asked, receiving another glare from the brunette.

"Well smart ass" she glared, "If you don't stop teasing me, you are gonna find out how it feels to be left behind."

"Ouch" Lucas said sarcastically, squinting his eyes at Brooke. He brought a hand up to her arm, rubbing it gently when her glaring eyes started to shoot daggers into him. "I'm kidding baby, you know I'm proud of you…" he smiled as her face started to soften. Their eyes locked for a few seconds before Averie hit the piano, this time instead of laughing she started to cry.

"Hey" Brooke said softly, turning her attention to the baby with big tears rolling down her cheeks, "Did you hit your hand too hard?" Brooke asked with a frown as she picked Averie up, hugging the little girl against her chest. "Will you go make her a bottle? I think she's ready for a nap." Brooke said, standing up with Averie and starting to bounce the baby. Lucas nodded, leaning down and kissing Averie's head before leaving the room.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Cheers to _almost _making the cover of In Style" Chae said with a grin as she lifted her glass to Brooke.

"I thought we already cheers'd to that?" Brooke questioned, narrowing her eyes at Chae, but clinging their glasses together anyways.

"No" Chae said with a silly smile, "it was to making the cover in the _future_."

"Oh yeah" Brooke said with a laugh, swirling the liquid around in her glass before raising it to her lips.

They had decided to have a girls night in their apartment to celebrate Brooke being in the magazine. Brooke left Averie with Lucas, and picked up her favorite flavored vodka on her way back to the apartment. The two girls had been drinking for awhile now, and had already erupted into many fits of giggles over nothing. Brooke was starting to get sleepy and she lazily rested her glass next to her on the ground, laying down into the pillows they had thrown on the floor. Chae followed suite, emptying her glass with one big gulp and then laying down next to Brooke.

"_I_ broke up with _Josh_" Chae admitted, rolling onto her side and hiccupping as she looked at Brooke.

"You did?" Brooke asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to think what that meant. "But _why_?"

"_He _said _I_ still love _Jake_" Chae slurred, laughing when another hiccup escaped her throat.

Brooke sat up, a goofy smile on her lips as she reached for her glass. "Cheers to you and Jakey boy" she said, lifting her glass and clanking it with Chae's.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke woke up the next morning and noticed three things immediately. The first was that her head was pounding and it hurt to simply open her eyes, the second was that she was sleeping on brown carpet and not in her comfortable bed, the third being that her neck and back were killing her, most likely due to the aforementioned sleeping arrangements. She sat up and noticed Chae sleeping on the floor next to her and two empty bottles of vodka, and suddenly it all made sense as she remembered most of it.

Brooke put her hand up to her head, rubbing circles in her temples. She stood from the floor and immediately went in search of tomato juice and aspirin. "What the hell were we thinking last night?" she asked with a laugh when Chae walked in the kitchen looking equally as miserable.

"I'm pretty sure its your fault" Chae groaned, falling onto a barstool and laying her head on the counter. "Damn In Style magazine." She lifted her head, willingly taking the aspirin that Brooke was holding out to her.

"Yeah, well at least you don't have to go home to a ten month old and a horny boyfriend" Brooke said with a raised eyebrow, obviously not feeling so bad for Chae.

"True" Chae agreed with a nod, swallowing the pills. "_But_, at least you _have _a boyfriend."

Brooke's eyes widened as much as they could and she leaned against her elbows on the counter, "What about Josh?" Brooke asked, neither girl remembering the conversation the had right before they had fallen asleep.

"Over" Chae said simply, laying her head back onto the cool countertop and closing her eyes.

Brooke bit on her lip, thinking about everything that was happening. "Well, this is perfect" Brooke said, a smile slowly starting to form on her face as she nodded slowly. "Because, you can come to Tree Hill with us and work things out with Jake!" Brooke grinned, clapping her hands together as Chae looked at her with an unenthused look on her face.

Chae shook her head, "I don't think so" she said plainly. "We just weren't meant to be Brooke. There is too much stuff holding us _apart_, we don't make sense _together_."

Brooke shrugged, the smile falling away as Chae spoke. "How many times did I say things like that when Lucas and I were apart?" Brooke retorted, hoping that Chae wouldn't give up on Jake so easily. Brooke could tell she missed him, every time he was mentioned Chae had that far off look in her eyes like she was somewhere else completely.

"You and Lucas are different" Chae said, annoyance present on her features and in her voice. "Stop trying to be Cupid and go back to your perfect life" Chae spat out bitterly with a raised eyebrow.

Brooke bit on her lip, breathing in deeply. She set her glass on the counter, looking down at her hands. "You know what, I'm sorry" She shrugged, looking up at Chae with no emotion on her face. "I'll stop trying to butt into your love life." Brooke walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, gathering her things into her purse.

As she threw her cell phone and random tubes of lip gloss into her purse Chae walked in, holding her throbbing head with one hand. She sat on the couch, watching as Brooke haphazardly dropped items into her new Marc Jacobs bag.

"My life isn't _perfect, _just so you know" Brooke grumbled from her spot on the floor. "You think I have it easy and you are wrong."

"I didn't mean it" Chae whispered from her spot on the couch as she bit at her finger nails. She looked up, her eyes facing towards the ceiling when they started to fill with tears. "I just don't know what to do anymore Brooke" She sighed, biting on her bottom lip to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks.

Brooke looked up at her friend as soon as she heard the crack in Chae's voice. She stood from the floor and was sitting on the couch, her arm wrapped around Chae before she could blink. She rubbed her hand up and down Chae's arm in attempt to make her feel better. She hadn't seen Chae cry very much, in fact they were both alike in this situation. They both bottled up all of their feelings inside, not wanting to bother themselves or anyone else with them. But when they broke down, all of the bottled up feelings came rushing out like a flash flood.

"I can't even have a _normal _relationship with a _decent _guy" Chae said, her voice shaky as single tears fell down her rosy cheeks. "And then I see you with Lucas, and I want that. The way he looks at you, and touches you when he thinks no one is looking…I don't know, I guess I get jealous of you guys, as stupid as that sounds." Chae shrugged, bringing a hand up and wiping roughly at the wet tear stains on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry buddy" Brooke sighed, biting down on her lip. What was she even supposed to say to that? Luckily, Chae started talking again before she had time to respond.

"And my job is a joke" Chae said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "I mean, I'm a part time receptionist for a no name record label!" Chae groaned. Both girls sat in silence for a few minutes until Chae started to talk again, "I need to do something with my life, I need a change."

"Well, maybe you should start looking for a new job" Brooke suggested, starting to perk up in hopes of helping her friend feel better. "Or maybe, just a simple manicure and pedicure for starters?"

"Don't you have to get back to Luke and Ave?" Chae asked, looking up at Brooke with a small sliver of hope in her eyes. Hope that her friend wouldn't have to go back to her life so soon.

"Nah" Brooke said, shrugging it off with a wave of her hand. "They'll be fine, plus my friend _needs _me" Brooke said, watching as Chae started to slowly smile. She wrapped her arm around Chae's neck, pulling her into a tight hug.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke walked into Lucas' house, immediately kicking off her heels and dropping her bag onto the ground next to the couch. It was just about dinner time, and she could hear Lucas talking to Averie in the kitchen. She walked in, leaning against the wall and smiling as he watched Lucas stir something on the stove with one hand, while holding Averie in his other arm.

"How was your day?" She asked, causing Lucas to slightly jump before turning and seeing her standing in the doorway.

"Ma-ma" Averie grinned, squirming in her dads arms to get to her mom.

"Hey baby, I missed you" Brooke grinned, walking towards Lucas and taking Averie, hugging the small girl against her tightly. She had seen Averie less than 24 hours ago, but she missed the little girl more than she ever could've imagined.

"I didn't hear you come in" Lucas said, setting the large spoon down on the counter and leaning into Brooke, kissing her softly on the lips. "How's Chae doing?" he asked, turning back to what he was making. Brooke had called him earlier, explaining that her and Chae needed to do some major girl bonding time. He knew that was code for one of the two having a breakdown, and after Brooke reassured him that she was fine, he figured it must have been Chae.

"She's okay. I think she just feels kind of stuck" Brooke said with a shrug, smiling at Averie who was standing on her legs while she sat in a chair. Averie stuck her tiny fingers in Brooke's mouth, laughing when Brooke started to softly bite her fingers.

"Stuck how?" Lucas asked, squinting his eyes like he always did when he was brooding.

"I don't know…with her job with her love life…I think she was just hung over and realizing she needs some change in her life" Brooke explained, then continued to make funny faces at Averie and smiling at the tiny girls infectious giggles. "How was your day? I missed you two."

"It was good" Lucas said plainly, walking towards Brooke and ruffling Averie's messy hair before sitting down next to them at the table. "We had good bonding time. I _almost _got her to say basketball" Lucas said with a proud smile.

"Sure ya did" Brooke laughed.

"We came close" Lucas argued back. So maybe Averie couldn't say basketball, but she did say ba-ba a bunch of times, and that was _almost _saying ball which is pretty much _almost _saying basketball.

Brooke shook her head, "Your daddy is silly Ave" She said to the little girl.

Later that night Brooke and Lucas sat on the floor of their bedroom with three large opened suitcase laying all around them. Averie had been asleep for awhile, and it was getting pretty late. Brooke pulled a laundry basket closer to her and started looking through it. It was full of Averie's clothes and every once in awhile she'd put an item from the basket into one of the suitcases.

"So why did we leave packing until the night before we leave?" Lucas asked, standing up and walking towards his dresser. He pulled out pairs of his jeans, casually dropping them into suitcases.

"I don't know" Brooke whined from her spot on the floor. "But packing for a week is hard enough for me, let alone for a baby too" Brooke complained as she threw a tiny dress into the suitcase. She watched as Lucas threw a bunch of t-shirts into his suitcase. "You are lucky. Its so easy for guys to pack, but us girls, we have to think about every outfit. Down to tiny details like the color of _stitching _on our _jeans_."

Lucas laughed, watching as Brooke stared at him with wide eyes and talked in her serious voice. "You think too much" he said, sitting back down next to her.

He placed a hand on her thigh, leaning towards her, his lips landing on hers. As soon as he tried to deepen the kiss Brooke pushed him away, "Slow down tiger, we still have a lot of packing to do" She said with a raised eyebrow. Lucas stared at her in disbelief. "But if you want to be a good boyfriend you can help" she said cheerily, smiling the sweetest smile she could muster, "You can go pack up all of Ave's eating things…bottles, bowls, ya know" She patted her hand on his chest. He stood from the floor and groaned, but before he could say another word she waved a hand at him, shooing him from the room. "Chop, chop!"

**

* * *

**

A/N: Alright, what did you think? Make sure and review and let me know! I will try to have the next chapter up a lot sooner this time! Thanks for being so great!

**-THANK YOU'S….to the people who help make this story what it is-**

**Mea (carebearxo8)- **Way to go being the very first reviewer!! Brucas are a happy little family huh! I love it! Haahaha I'm glad you don't like josh! Jake is definitely better! Hahaha Jae…I like that….most people have been calling them Chake…but I like Jae too J Don't feel bad, I'm just glad to get your review! I was wondering where you were ha-ha. I'm glad you love the family interaction….and brucas should just get married huh? They are way too stubborn! Thanks for your review! I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Onetreefan- **I'm glad you are loving this! I'm glad you are loving Brucas together…I love them together too. It just makes everything better! Thank you for your review, I love hearing what you think! I hope you liked this chapter!

**LoveLin- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter and seeing what their life is like now! Hahaa, I'm glad that you liked that Averie's first word was gimme…I thought it suited a brucas baby! Okay, so when I was reading your review I was like omg she has like predicted the whole next chapter! It was kinda funny, but kinda freaky hahaha. So good job with that one, you are good! So I'm guessing you will like this chapter since you pretty much suggested it! Thanks for reviewing, I love them J

**Jem (flipflopgal)- **I'm glad you like Averie older! Hahaha, yeah she will definitely be a handful when she starts walking and talking more! Sad for Chae, I know! But things will work out eventually and she will be happy with whatever she decides to do! Or I guess, whatever I decide for her to do! Hahaha. Thanks for your review! I'm glad you loved the last chapter and I hope you like this one too!

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- **Hey buddy! That's exciting about getting to go to the Celtics playoff! I bet it was fun. I'm glad you loved the chapter! I hope you had fun at your game!! Looove ya!

**Dolcegrazia- **Thank you for the sweet review! I'm glad you like the time jump J that is very good to hear! Haha, I'm glad you think Averie sounds adorable….but she'd have to be to be lucas and brooke's baby right? She makes you want a baby? She kinda makes me want a baby too…then I think about it and decide I'd rather just write about one haha. Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Whiters- **I'm glad you loved the last update! Yeah, it is pretty cool that Chae has been so well liked, and I think you are right, it is definitely a hard thing to do! I'm glad it has seemed to work out in my story! Thanks for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Reina123- **Thank you for the review! I'm glad you like the time jump!! I hope you like this chapter J

**Broodyprettygirl- **I'm glad you like the time jump! And you are right, tiny babies don't do as much, and older ones are a lot more fun to write about! Both of your kids were walking by 9 months?? That is craaaazy! I was a toddler teacher for a little over a year, so I know how busy they can be, but you got to deal with that even sooner than usual! Thank you for the ideas!! It's good to hear other peoples insights and thoughts! Thanks for your review! I hope you like this chapter!

**Amy (brucas2008)- **I'm glad you are still loving this story! And it totally makes me happy that it is one of your favorites! Hahahaa..I totally agree with the peyton thing ;) Yeah, I'm working and going to college soon! I actually started a summer class today, so I really only got like a week off of school but that's okay! If you want to read some good fan fics you should read Brucas2006's stories…I love hers! I can PM you with some more if you want me too J I don't read very many stories on here, but there are a few I love! Thank you for your review, it really helps to read such nice things! I love you like this chapter!

**Jen (courtneylovejason)- **Hey crazy! Your review was probably longer than the chapter itself hahaha. How do you do it? Hahaha I love reading your reviews though! Hahaha you even get excited just because Brooke's hair is shorter. I love it! Hahaha I'm glad you are proud of me for writing in age appropriateness… you are too funny! My favorite part of your review was your little chad rant hahaha. I love you! It would take all day to comment on your review, so I'll just say thank you! Now go read this chapter! I don't think you'll even hate me for it J

**SarahF- **haha, yay for getting to read two chapters at once…that's always exciting! Exciting enough to dance for joy! Haha. I'm glad you love this story, your review was very kind J I loved it! I'm glad you can picture everything that's happening, because that is my goal…so its working which is good to know! Your review was so nice, it was seriously exactly what I needed, so thank you so much! I'm glad you love this story, and I hope I don't disappoint! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, but I hope you like it! Thank you so much for your reviews, I always love them J

**Sweetchristie03- **I'm glad you finally had a chance to get caught up J I'm glad you are loving all of the brucas moments! But Brucas is always amazing when they are together!! I always love to hear what you have to say about the chapters and the characters and everything, so thank you for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!

**Othfan326- **I love the brucas family too…any brucas family is a good though! Hahaha I'm glad you thought Josh was annoying, because that's what I was hoping for haha. I actually am thinking about bringing Brooke's mom into the story, I'm just not sure when…I have an idea though, but it might not be for awhile. I'm planning on jumping ahead again soon too, probably in a couple more chapters though! Thank you for your help, I will be sure to PM you if I need any extra help, that was very nice of you to offer J I love your reviews, so thank you!! I hope you like this chapter!

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- **I'm glad you really liked the last chapter! Hahaha Josh is an ass. He won't be around for long! I hope you like this chapter and thanks for your review!!

**Katherine- **Thank you sooo much for your review. I'm pretty sure that you already know how much I love them, but I might as well tell you again. Your reviews are always my very favorite, and I couldn't wait to hear from you this time, just because I needed that extra bit of inspiration that I knew your review could provide. So thank you so much! Hahaha the promo for tonights episode…I'm so glad you mentioned that…it totally looks like Lucas is drugged and like Peyton is trying to rape him! I feel so bad for him…I hope he doesn't get raped by that manly 'girl'. haha. I'm so glad that you loved this chapter! I'm also very happy that you love Averie! She is so much fun to write its crazy! Hahaha you can use cute as much as you want, because brucas babies are soo cute! I'm glad that you like the way things are going for Brooke and Lucas personally and for Brooke and Lucas together. Its always so good to hear what you have to say on these different things because I value your opinion and insight a lot! I'm also glad you liked the ending because I was not very happy with it! I seriously could go on forever commenting on everything that you said, but just know that I seriously LOVE your reviews! Thank you so much. I really love this story, and I'm hoping that now I kind of have my footing back and can get back into it. Thanks once again for your amazing review Katherine. You are the best! I hope you liked this chapter and I can't wait to read your review!

**Onetreehillgirl066- **hahaha yes, you got a review in and that's all that matters! Way to go! Hahaha don't worry about the 'editor'…Lucas won't cheat on Brooke in this story! Haha, no I've never watched Zoey 101! I think my sister used to watch it though! Anyways, I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one too! Thanks for reviewing!

**Brucas3Naley23- **I'm glad that you liked the time jump and I'm happy that you are happy that Brucas are still together…that was kind of a tongue twister ha-ha. I'm sad about Chae and Jake too…and yeah Josh was an ass. Haha. And yay for lucas writing a book for Brooke….its so much better that way than the way it is on the show! Haha I'm glad you are happy that brucas hooked up…they are brucas lol. Thanks for the review! I hope you like this chapter!!

**Tanya (tanya2byour21)-** I'm glad you love the new chapter and Averie now that she is a little older! I love babies her age too, they are so curious and fun! Thank you for your review, it was very nice! I hope you like this chapter!

**Brucas333- **hahah yeah, Josh was annoying and that's how I wanted him to be lol. Thanks for your review, I hope you like this chapter!!

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)- **Hey hoe. Sneak into any good movies lately?? Oh yes, I did, I broke up Chae and Jake…but yeah, at least it wasn't brucas! So I really only added that flashback of Brooke and Lucas for you. Like really, I wasn't going to but I was like 'Sydney really wants to see brooke say I love you' and so I was like 'I better write it in' so I did. Yup. All for you. You just get annoyed easily don't you haahaha. You are such a whore….no they will not take her blanket away. I like make it a point averie still has her blankie hahaha. I'm glad you like the brucas family and everything else that happens. But really, you are just easy to please! Hahha. Thanks for reviewing, I hope you like this chapter and I will talk to you soon I'm sure!

**OTHbrucas4ever- **I'm glad you loved the last chapter! That is so crazy that your name is Trish and your exboyfriends name is Josh. Haha. That is pretty crazy! Weird that I picked those two names and they both have significance to you! Haha. Thanks for your review! I hope you like this chapter!

**Bella- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I like Lindsey in the show too, I really don't get why people don't like her so much! And you are right, she keeps pucas apart which is a plus! Haahah Josh is an ass. He should get beat up! Thank you for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!

**Erika- **you are so funny! Yeah, the chocolate therapy will always be alittle piece of you in this story! But seriously, that ice cream is amazing! I'm glad you liked the last chapter though, brucas as a family is good right? Haha. Hahahaa you are so funny. I was totally laughing at your review! We will be hearing from Haley in this chapter…I miss Naley haha. ha-ha I'm glad you liked this chapter though, and I loved your long review! I hope you like this chapter! Ps…what is squash? I thought it was a vegetable not a sport haha.

**IamCaroline- **hahaaha, that chapter is your new favorite? You are funny. I love your reviews! I'm glad you think Averie is cute, I love babies that age too! They are so much fun! I'm glad that chapter made you totally smile, your review made me smile! I love hearing what you have to say, so thanks for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!

**IchliebeBrucas- **I'm so glad that this is starting to become one of your favorite stories! That totally like makes my day! Haahaha brucas does have that effect huh! I'm glad my story has sucked you in, and glad you are all caught up now! I'm glad you love all of the characters and their relationships! Haha. Thanks for your review! And rambling is totally okay, cuz I ramble constantly too hehehe. I hope you like this chapter!!

**Natalie (iluvmedou)- **Okay, so I seriously love you and your reviews. They always make me either smile, or laugh, or both! You are so silly! Hahahhaa. I'm glad that chapter gave you a 'hanger smile' as I know like to call that type of smile. I'm glad you liked the time jump….I actually am very excited for it too! You are right, it is refreshing and exciting! Don't get worried yet, for the time being everything will be happy! I'm trying to keep it realistic, and realistically there isn't always tragedy hahaha. So don't worry yet J I'm glad you are loving it though, you are too sweet! I hope you liked this chapter, and thanks sooo much for always reviewing!!

**Team Davis-Scott- **Oh, by the way, I love your name….team davis-scott is right!! Haha. Yeah, I don't really like Josh and Chae either, I'm glad you don't cuz I didn't want you guys to like him hahaha. Mommy Brooke is the best, I agree! I think she would make an amazing mom! Thank you for your very nice review J I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Katie (brookedavis23)- **Awww, its my BIF! Hahha you are like one of my favorite people ever, but I think you already knew that! I'm glad you love this story so much…that alone makes me want to continue it haha. Thanks for being so supportive, you are like my little personal assistant getting the word of this story out there ;) I'm glad you love Averie…and yeah, the double date…that was pretty awkward huh? Anyways, I hope you like this chapter…I'm sure you will though haha. I will talk to you soon obviously! Love you!! Oh, and duh…thanks for reviewing J

**Ellie- **haha your review totally made me laugh. I'm glad you love this story and that its slowly becoming one of your favorites….that is totally a good sign J I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, but here is your fix ;) I hope you liked it! Thanks for reviewing!!

**Chasitybsp- **haha yay for Brooke's clothing line! And yeah, that dinner date was pretty miserable, and since you said so I did my job cuz that's how I wanted it to be! I'm glad you can picture Averie, because that's what I'm going for. Thank you for mentioning that too, I love writing Averie and all of the little details about her, so I am glad you like reading about it J thank you for always reviewing. I always watch for yours! I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Chebelle- **Thank you for your review. It was seriously exactly what I needed! I'm glad you liked that chapter! And I totally agree, any Brucas baby is a perfect baby! It has actually been really fun to write Averie in this story, so I'm glad you love her J Haahhahaa, I'm glad you are on team Chake…and its pretty obvious right? Haha. I wanna wear her clothes too, haha, its funny that you say that….like in the episode where she is stradeling Lindsey and is like 'you are wearing me' I'm always so jealous cuz I want to wear Clothes Over Bro's haha. Thank you once again for your review! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Dancefever0234- **Haha, yeah, life gets in the way…I totally understand! I have been totally busy lately too, but I am happy to hear from you anyways J I'm glad that you love everything that has happened in the story! And of course I'm totally excited that you are excited about Brucas finally being back together! They are a cute little family…but any Brucas family is a cute family J Thank you for your review! I loved it! I hope you like this chapter!

**Sara (brucas2006)- **So even though you haven't technically reviewed yet, I'm sure you will just because you are amazing. And I have to give you thanks because you have given me tons of inspiration for this story, and just talking me through my silly little 'writers block' moments. I love you! Thanks for being such a great support! BRF!!


	32. Here We Are Now

********

A/N: Okkaay, here is the next chapter! I hope you guys like it, honestly, I'm not a big fan of it! But here it is anyways! Thank you to everyone who takes the time to review, I appreciate every single one of them :)

_How getting lost is not a waste of time _

…

_It's all for the sake of arriving with you_

**Chapter Thirty Two- Here we are now**

Lucas tried to stretch his legs as much as he could from his cramped airplane seat. It didn't help that Averie was dead asleep on one of his shoulders, and Brooke was sleeping on his other shoulder. Him and Brooke had stayed up late the night before packing for their trip, and they were both exhausted by the time they got to the airport. He was glad that at least Brooke was getting to rest.

They were on their way to Tree Hill where they would spend the next week hopefully relaxing. Lucas was excited for a small get away, even though when he came back he would be busy finishing his book. Lindsey, his editor, was editing the final draft this week and after that he would be able to check through it once more before publishing it. It was crazy to think that his dream of writing was actually becoming a reality. He was excited for Brooke to read his book once it was finished seeing as he had only allowed her to read bits and pieces so far.

He knew that he and Brooke had both come so far in life. They were both accomplishing their dreams, him with his book and her with her clothing line. And all the while, they were happy _together_, with _Averie_. He couldn't imagine his life being in a better place right now, and with everything going so good, he was weary that it couldn't last for long. What he did know was that he would do whatever it took to _keep _things good.

When the fasten seatbelt light came back on he gently rubbed Brooke's arm with his hand that was wrapped around her. She had put the armrest up between them and was curled up in her seat, leaning against Lucas. She started to stir and slowly blinked her eyes, keeping her head on Lucas' shoulder.

"Hey baby" Lucas said softly as she started to wake up. He kissed the top of her head, "You gotta get your seatbelt back on…we're getting ready to land."

"Already?" She asked sleepily, lifting her head from his shoulder and putting her feet back on the ground, fastening her seatbelt.

"Yeah, you've been asleep for a while" Lucas said with a small laugh, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Ave is still sleeping?" Brooke asked through a yawn, still sleepy and trying to wake herself up.

"Yeah, luckily" Lucas said with a received sigh. "But I'm worried that once we start to land and her ears start popping again it'll be a different story." Averie did pretty well in planes while they were steady in the air. But when they were departing or landing, she was not happy. She had practically cried herself to sleep when they departed today, and Lucas hoped that she would stay asleep when they landed.

"I'll get a bottle" Brooke said, leaning over and reaching for the big designer purse that doubled as a diaper bag. It seemed to help her ears if Averie was sucking on a bottle or her binky, so Brooke made sure to have both ready just in case the baby woke up. Brooke pulled a bottle out of her bag that she had conveniently filled with water before they left. She put some of the powdered baby formula in the bottle and shook it up. After the bottle was made she rested her head back onto Lucas' shoulder. "I can't wait to get there" she said happily, sighing contently. "Are you excited?"

"Yeah…I'm excited to spend a whole week with _no _work and _you_" he said with a smile. "I just hope things aren't weird with Haley."

**Flashback**

**Brooke decided that flying with a five month old couldn't be too bad. She had talked Lucas into a weekend in Tree Hill because she was dying to see her friends. Lucas was a little reluctant to go, but Brooke was too excited for him to turn her down. After sitting down at Haley and Nathan's house for a very awkward dinner, Brooke had abandoned him in the living room to feed Averie and try to get the cranky baby to sleep. So Lucas sat in the middle of their big couch alone, while Haley and Nathan sat on the smaller couch together. Silence. Lucas never knew silence could be so loud.**

**All three of the adults let out a breath they didn't know they were holding as soon as they heard baby Max cry from his bedroom. Nathan stood from the couch quickly, "I'll get him" he announced and walked straight for his sons room.**

**Haley looked down at her legs while she drummed her fingers against them. "So…" **

**Lucas looked up at her, clapping his hands against his jeans and raising an eyebrow to Brooke's longest and best friend. He wanted to get along with her, he really did, but she didn't make it easy. She was always **_**watching **_**him, as if she was just **_**waiting **_**for him to mess up.**

"**Somehow you have this hold on my best friend" Haley started, "I'm sorry if you think I'm a bitch, but really I'm just looking out for her."**

"**I know, you are a good friend to her" Lucas said, his voice calm and cool. He had actually been expecting this. Since Brooke's dad wasn't around to threaten him about breaking his little girls heart, he figured that her best friend would be up to the challenge.**

"**I just can't let you hurt her again…she's happy, and she's happy with you. She needs you right now, so just don't screw it up" Haley warned, shrugging her shoulders as if she hadn't pretty much threatened him. "I may be small, but if you hurt her again then I'll-"**

"**She's asleep" Brooke chimed in, happily bouncing into the room and falling onto Lucas' lap. "What were you two talking about?" She asked, resting both of her hands on Lucas' shoulder, smiling widely between Lucas and Haley.**

"**Oh, just you" Lucas said, trying to match her cheery voice but adorning his with a fake smile.**

"**Good" Brooke grinned, watching Haley smiled and nodded her head in agreement with Lucas. "Just how I like it!" Brooke smiled, leaning her head against Lucas'. **

**End Flashback**

Averie slept through the rest of the plane ride, not waking up until they were safely on the ground and in the hustle and bustle of the small airport. Brooke and Lucas figured the baby sleeping throughout the landing had to have been a miracle. They had gathered up all of their luggage and Averie's car seat and were now loading it all into a small rental car.

Brooke waited in the front seat for Lucas to finish loading their bags. She was holding Averie on her lap until they were ready to go. "And when we get there you get to play with your favorite cousin Max!" Brooke said happily as Averie grabbed at her hair. "And we even get to eat cake and ice cream with him! And Aunt Haley and Uncle Nathan can't wait to see you again!"

Lucas opened the door to the drivers side of the car, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," Brooke smiled, kissing Averie before handing her to Lucas so he could put her in the car seat in the back.

Brooke couldn't help but get excited as they drove through Tree Hill. She pointed out all of the little things that she loved to Lucas. She had already done this, the last time she had brought him here, but he didn't remind her. He loved seeing her get so excited about things, and the way her face lit up as they drove through the small but growing town made Lucas love her even more.

"So should we stop by your old house first?" Lucas asked, looking over at Brooke who was staring out the passenger window.

"Why would we do that?" She asked, scrunching up her face as she looked over at him.

"To drop off our things, get settled…"

"We can do that later, we definitely need to go to Naley's first!" Brooke grinned, getting more and more excited to see her friends.

Lucas nodded and followed Brooke's directions as she led them through the town. They pulled into the driveway at Nathan and Haley's house, and Brooke didn't waste time getting out of the car. Haley opened the house door as soon as they pulled up, and Lucas watched the two girls run towards each other frantically.

"Haley!" Brooke squealed, wrapping her arms tightly around her friend. "I missed you!"

"I'm so excited you are here" Haley said cheerily, hugging her friend.

Lucas got Averie out of her car seat and slowly walked towards the two girls who had been hugging for awhile now.

"We are going to have so much fun this week" Brooke said happily, finally releasing Haley.

Haley nodded before turning her attention to Lucas and Averie. "Hey Luke" she smiled, and then turned her attention to the little girl who was burying her head in Lucas' chest. "Averie! You are getting so big!" At the mention of her name, the little girl just hid her face even more.

"Are you being shy Sass?" Lucas said to the tiny girl in his arms as he comfortingly rubbed her back. "How are you doing Haley?"

"Good now that you guys are here" She said happily, wrapping an arm around Brooke's shoulder and leading her into the house.

"Well if it isn't Brooke Davis" Nathan called, standing from the couch and opening his arms to Brooke.

"Miss me?" She questioned with a wink, hugging the guy who was practically a brother.

"Nah, not too much" Nathan said with a shrug, he stepped back when Brooke tried to hit him and laughed when Haley drug her away. "Hey Lucas, what's going on?"

"Nathan" Lucas said with a nod, shaking his hand and clapping him on the back.

"They are just showing the highlights of tonight's games" Nathan said with a wide smile as he motioned towards the noisy TV.

"Perfect" Lucas smiled back, sitting down on the couch with a shy Averie on his lap. Nathan left the living room and came back moments later handing Lucas a beer.

"How was the flight?" Nathan asked, then looked down at Averie who was gripping onto Lucas' t-shirt tightly. "God, she looks just like Brooke," he mused to himself.

"She does doesn't she?" Lucas said proudly. He turned around when he heard Brooke coming into the room.

"He has gotten so big" Brooke said with a huge smile as she held Max. He was bigger than Averie, and actually had hair now. It was strawberry blonde like Haley's, short and spiky. When he smiled, you could see that he had almost all of his tiny baby teeth. She sat down next to Lucas and Averie, "Say hi to Max Ave!" Brooke grinned, holding a smiling Max on her knee.

"Baby" Max said, reaching a drooly hand out to Averie who looked like she was about to cry. If it wasn't for the group of strangers staring at her, she probably would've.

For the last few weeks Averie had been having a lot of separation anxiety. The baby that used to wave to people in the grocery store had turned extremely shy and didn't like being bothered by people she didn't know. She cried if one of her parents weren't around her, and wanted to be around them constantly. Brooke and Lucas knew it was just a stage that she was going through, and they knew she would get over it eventually so they didn't worry about it too much. Instead they just comforted her, letting her know that they were always there so that she would feel safe.

When Averie didn't respond to Max he started to wiggle until Brooke set him on the ground. They all watched as he walked away from them, stumbling slightly but keeping his balance.

"I can't believe he's walking" Brooke sighed, a happy smile on her face. As soon as Max was out of her lap Averie reached for her mom, frantically holding onto Brooke's neck.

"I know, he's a little monster" Nathan chuckled, watching as Max reached for the remote control on the coffee table. Once he had a firm grip, the little boy stuck the control in his mouth. "And he thinks everything is edible" Nathan added, reaching for the remote.

"That's what we have to look forward too" Lucas laughed, resting a hand on Brooke's knee.

Haley walked into the living room, sitting down on the floor by where Max was playing with a toy. "So, Chae decided not to come?"

Brooke shrugged, rolling her eyes. "No…even though I think it would be good for her. She was practically having an emotional breakdown."

"That's too bad" Haley frowned, turning her attention to Max when he handed her a toy.

"Her and Jake need to just get over it or get back together" Nathan added while still keeping his attention focused on the television. "She's moping around there, he's moping around here…"

"They are both too stubborn" Brooke said confidently with a nod of her head. Averie sat up, starting to warm up to the new environment and looked down when she heard Max playing with a noisy toy.

"Sounds like someone else I know" Lucas smiled, rubbing Brooke's knee.

"Shut up!" She shrieked as Haley and Nathan laughed, obviously agreeing with Lucas. Averie started to squirm, making screeching noises until Brooke set her down on the ground.

"Hey sweet girl" Haley grinned as Averie crawled towards them, sitting down and pulling a cardboard book into her lap. Haley reached a hand out, smoothing Averie's soft brown hair. "She's so cute Brooke."

"Yeah, she takes after her dad" Lucas said with a long sarcastic sigh, everyone looked at him with a surprised look on their face, shook their head no and burst into laughter.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas opened kitchen cupboards, only to close them again. The fridge and the freezer were a lost hope, he had already checked numerous times. There was no food in the house, and he didn't know why that had surprised him. No one had lived there for years, and Brooke's parents hardly visited from what he was told. It was kind of weird to be staying in her parents huge house when he hadn't even met them yet.

"She's starving" Brooke announced as she entered the kitchen with a squirming and whining Averie in her arms. Brooke was already dressed for the day, wearing black shorts that made her legs seem to go on for days, which Lucas didn't mind at all. Averie's dark hair was still wet from her bath and she was wearing a lacy white sundress that made Lucas laugh, a ten month old dressed in _white_, it was pretty humorous.

"There is no food here" Lucas told her, he leaned his back against the counter, raising an eyebrow at Brooke. He reached for the bottle he had made and handed to Averie, "All we have are Averie's snacks that we brought."

"That's a problem" Brooke said with a slow nod as Averie drank her bottle while twirling her tiny fingers in Brooke's hair.

"We should probably run to the grocery store, we're gonna be here all week."

"We're supposed to be meeting Jake and Naley" Brooke sighed, sitting down in a kitchen chair. Lucas raised an eyebrow at her, "Okay, you are right. I guess we should go get food" She said unenthusiastically.

"Our baby _does _need to eat" Lucas said, laughing at Brooke's put out behavior.

From her spot on her mom's lap, Averie sat straight up and pulled the bottle out of her mouth, she sat still for a second and then threw it on the ground, "No!" she squealed before starting to jabber in what sounded like angry baby talk.

Lucas and Brooke looked at each other before bursting out in laughter.

While Lucas gathered Brooke's purse and made sure they had all of Averie's things together, Brooke pulled the front pieces of Averie's hair back, securing it in a small braid so that it would stay out of her eyes. Lucas put a few crackers in a small bag for Averie and they were out the door in no time.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Lucas!" Brooke shouted from the passenger seat of the car. She sat up straight, waving her arms around in front of her.

"God Brooke" Lucas shrieked, "You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry" Brooke said with a small laugh, relaxing back into her seat, she waved her pointed finger out the window, "Can we please stop at Macy's…just to see…"

"They aren't supposed to have your clothes in yet are they?" Lucas asked, scrunching up his face. They had been to the grocery store and were just leaving Brooke's parents house after feeding Averie. Lucas looked in his rear view mirror to see the little girl sleeping soundly in her car seat.

"No" Brooke said, smiling sweetly up at him, "But they might have like a display up or something…"

"Aren't your friends waiting for us?" Lucas asked unsurely, pulling into the malls parking lot anyways. He couldn't say no to Brooke for the life of him, so he didn't know why he was even arguing it.

"They can wait" Brooke said with a wave of her hand as Lucas pulled into a parking space.

Brooke got out of the car and retrieved their pink and brown plaid stroller from the trunk. While she unfolded the large stroller, Lucas carefully got a sleeping Averie from the backseat, knowing that if she woke up no one would be happy. Between the two of them they managed to transfer Averie from the car to the stroller without her even stirring.

"I'm so excited!" Brooke grinned, practically jumping up and down in her brand new, way to tall wedges. She rested her hand on top of Luke's as he pushed the stroller, and she somehow managed to intertwine her fingers with his.

Once they were inside the store, Brooke got a little overly excited, and couldn't help but walk in front of Lucas and guide the way through the mall she knew as well as the back of her own hand.

"Luke! Luke!" Brooke called, waving Lucas over towards her.

He casually pushed the stroller, letting Brooke do her thing as he lagged behind. But when she started waving excitedly, he figured she must have found something good, preferably to do with her clothing line.

"Isn't this shirt so _cute_!" She gushed, holding a deep purple, silky, revealing top out towards him.

"Wait, are you actually _shopping_?" he asked in disbelief, rocking the stroller back and forth. She shrugged a shoulder and tossed him the shirt to hold before walking deeper into the rows of clothes. Lucas sighed, shopping was not his favorite thing to do, not at all.

Brooke continued walking around Macys, not caring if Lucas was keeping up with her or not. It was nice to have him by her, because then he could hold all of the items she was considering buying, but on the other hand she hated to listen to him whine about it. Her phone started to ring and she pulled it from her purse. It was Haley, and she knew that she was late to meet them. Instead of answering the phone she silenced it, and decided she would just have to shop more efficiently so they could be done faster.

A flowered sundress caught her eye and she was immediately drawn to it. Brooke held it up by the hanger and started to examine the dress. She could hear Lucas behind her, it sounded like he was talking on the phone and she just hoped that one of her friends hadn't called him.

"Brooke!"

Brooke lowered the dress, and saw the last person she would've imagined standing right in front of her.

"Hey…Judy" Brooke said, a fake smile plastered on her face…even though she was pretty sure her shock and surprise shone through.

The older lady reached her arms out, pulling Brooke into a tight hug. "It's been too long! What have you been up to lately? We were so sad to hear about you and Kade's problems, but he said you two were trying to work through them and that things should be back to normal in no time."

"I..uh…_what?_" Brooke stuttered, not believing what Kade's mom was saying, then again, she always had a big mouth and loved to gossip.

"Hey, babe, that was Haley…she's freaking out and wants to know what's taking so long" Lucas said, walking up behind her with Averie still asleep in the stroller.

Brooke turned around, Lucas was standing behind her with his brooding face on and waving his closed cell phone at her. She turned back to face Kade's mom, who she had always really liked and who looked very confused. Now all she needed was for Averie to wake up and start crying and her shopping trip would be completely ruined.

"How long are you in town for? Kade didn't even tell us you were coming! But we would love to have you over for dinner" Judy said with a huge grin on her face, she reached a hand out placing it on Brooke's arm. She looked over at Lucas, "Is this one of you and Kade's friends from High School? He looks so _familiar_…"

Lucas looked over at Brooke, not knowing who this lady was and why she was talking about Kade. Brooke looked freaked out, her mouth was opened slightly like she was going to talk but she didn't know what to say.

"I'm Lucas," he finally said, seeing as Brooke wasn't saying anything and this woman was obviously waiting for an answer. The older lady still stared at him, like she was trying to figure out where she knew him from. "Brooke's boyfriend…"

Lucas watched as the older ladies face dropped, he couldn't tell if she was sad and upset, or just really angry but surprised. He looked over at Brooke who was biting on her bottom lip nervously, while her eyebrows dipped down, the way they did when she was nervous about something. He took a hand off of the stroller and reached it out to lightly touch Brooke's fingers with his.

"Oh" Judy said, her mouth still formed in a perfect circle after the word had been long gone from her mouth.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what-" Brooke started, before Kade's mom cut her off.

"But Kade said that you two were working things out, that everything was going to be okay" Judy said softly, trying to process what was happening. "Does he _know _you have a _boyfriend_?" She asked, her eyes growing wide just at the thought of Brooke cheating on her son.

"Yeah, he does" Brooke said, her voice coming out in a squeak. She held onto Lucas' hand tighter if only to give her that extra support. "I don't know why he told you that, but we've been over for a long time" She looked up to see Judy, who looked obviously hurt.

"How long?" Judy asked, her voice quiet.

"It's been awhile Mrs. Roberts, a little over a year and a half…" Brooke said, hating to see Kade's mom looking so upset. Judy Roberts had always been there for her, she had become a mother figure while Brooke was dating Kade, and she had always dreamed out loud about her son marrying Brooke. Brooke just couldn't believe that Kade would lie to his mom like that. He knew they were over, _obviously _they were _over_. His mom would have to find out sooner or later, and she was just sad that she had to be the one to tell Judy.

"Is she…Is she Kade's?" Judy asked with a shaky voice as her eyes traveled to the sleeping baby in the stroller for the first time.

"No, she's not Kade's" Lucas told her, knowing from the look on Brooke's face that she didn't want to answer the question.

"I'm sorry Judy" Brooke said regretfully, wishing that she wouldn't have stopped at the mall after all.

"No, Brooke, don't be sorry" Judy said quickly, and Brooke nodded before the older lady hugged her again. Judy let go of Brooke and started to walk backwards, "I'm going to go kill my son now" She announced with a small laugh to lighten the tension. "It was good to see you Brooke, keep in touch?"

"I will" Brooke said with a soft smile, she waved as Judy left in a hurry.

"Kade's mom?" Lucas asked as Brooke turned around to face him.

Brooke nodded, "that was a nightmare" she sighed, leaning her forehead against Lucas' shoulder. She looked up at him, "Why wouldn't he just tell her the truth, why even lie about it, I mean sooner or later its gonna have to come out."

Lucas shook his head, "I don't know" he answered honestly, placing a hand on Brooke's waist. "Maybe he really thought there was hope for you two?"

Brooke looked at Lucas like he was a complete idiot, "Why would he think that? He knows about _us_, he knows about _Averie _for gods sake!"

"Hey, calm down" Lucas said, reaching out an arm as Brooke started to rant. He couldn't help but smile as she started to pace back and forth in front of him, mumbling to herself while throwing her arms out in front of her…right in the middle of the clothing department in Macys.

"His _mother _thinks we are still _together_!" Brooke shouted, stopping in front of him and throwing her hands up in the air.

"Well, technically from the sounds of it…she just thinks that you are working things out, or _trying _to" Lucas said with a shrug, pushing the stroller back and forth when he heard Averie making what he and Brooke dubbed 'waking up noises'.

"You are not helping Lucas Scott" She warned through gritted teeth.

"Well, from what I can tell, that lady isn't your problem anymore and you shouldn't be stressing about it" Lucas said nonchalantly. He waited as Brooke crouched down and unbuckled Averie from the stroller, lifting her into her arms. "Just don't worry about her Brooke."

"It's just hard, and just because I don't want anything to do with _him_, I still want his mom to like me" She pouted, hugging Averie against her. They started to walk back through the large department store, Lucas now pushing the empty stroller.

"She still does like you," Lucas said, trying to sound like it was the big deal that Brooke was making it out to be, just so she would stop dwelling on it.

Brooke sighed and shrugged, then turned her attention to Averie who was starting to be more awake. "Did you have a good nap, huh Sassy?" Brooke asked, kissing her daughter on the cheek.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Everyone had gathered at Nathan and Haley's house for a lunchtime barbeque. Haley and Brooke were playing on a blanket with the kids while Lucas and Nathan grilled chicken and hamburgers on the grill. Jake had been helping the guys, but had excused himself and went into the house.

"Ball!" Max grinned, waving his hands around before hitting them against his chubby legs.

"Yeah, but Averie hates _grass_" Brooke laughed, rolling a ball towards Max, smiling when the little boy clapped and giggled. Haley started to laugh, "She really does, if her feet even touch it she cries" Brooke said with a nod.

"No, no, no!" Averie squealed happily, kicking her legs and reaching for her purple monkey that was sitting in Brooke's lap.

"I still think its weirder that Max cries when he sees a dog" Haley shrugged, "Puppies are so cute, most kids _love _puppies!"

Lucas reached for a spatula, flipping the burgers that started to sizzle on the grill. "This thing is amazing" he told Nathan, motioning towards the brand new grill that Nathan had just bought.

"I know, right? Haley almost went into cardiac arrest when she saw the price…but its worth it!" Nathan enthused, poking around at the chicken before he shut the lid. He looked over at Brooke and Haley who were sitting on the grass with the babies, both laughing while Averie and Max played. "How are you and Brooke doing?"

"Great," Lucas grinned, looking over at Brooke and losing his thoughts, "She's amazing…"

"She seems really happy," Nathan smiled, looking back at Lucas who he could tell was happy as well. "It's good to see her smiling again. I haven't seen her this happy in a long time, and something tells me it has something to do with you."

Lucas shrugged, "Well, and her clothes…and Averie, I mean the list pretty much goes on and on."

Nathan clapped his hand on Lucas' shoulder, "You're a good guy Lucas."

Brooke sat up on the blanket, catching her breath from laughing. She looked over and was happily surprised to see Lucas and Nathan getting along so well. "Hey, where did Jake go?" Brooke asked, not seeing him anywhere in the small backyard. Haley looked around as well and shrugged. "I'm gonna go find him" Brooke announced, standing from the blanket once Averie was entertained with a toy that lit up. "Do you mind keeping an eye on her?"

"No that's fine" Haley smiled, tickling Averie's bare feet.

Brooke stood from the blanket, sneaking away so that Averie didn't start crying. She walked over to Nate and Luke, slipping her arms around Lucas' waist from behind. "Hey" she purred into his ear.

"Are you having fun?" Lucas asked, turning around to face her.

"Yeah" She grinned, her dimples popping out and her eyes twinkling. "Where's Jake?"

"He went inside like fifteen minutes ago" Nathan chimed in, keeping his attention on the grill.

"I'm gonna go talk to him," Brooke announced, standing up on her tippy toes to kiss Lucas lightly on the lips before walking away.

"Tell him its almost time to eat!" Nathan called right as she was about to disappear into the back door.

Brooke nodded, closing the door behind her. She walked in through the kitchen, noticing it was empty. As she made her way through the quiet living room, she almost walked down the hallway to the bedrooms before she noticed Jake slumped into the couch.

"Hey buddy" Brooke smiled, sitting down next to him on the couch. "We missed you out there."

"Yeah, its just too…hot" Jake shrugged, taking a drink from his beer can.

"What's been going on? It feels like we haven't had time to talk forever" Brooke said, trying to lighten the mood. Jake had been keeping to himself lately, and it was driving her crazy.

"How are you and Lucas doing?" Jake asked, changing the subject to something easy.

"We're doing good" Brooke smiled, "Averie is getting big huh?"

"Yeah, she's beautiful Brooke. I'm really happy for you. Haley told me about Macy's selling your clothes, that's great" Jake said, looking over at her and smiling lightly.

"I'm so excited for it, I mean I never thought this would happen" She grinned, leaning back further into the couch. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Jake drinking his beer, and Brooke just picking at her fingernails. "I tried to talk Chae into coming…"

"She didn't want to?" Jake asked, perking up a little at the mention of Chae.

"I think she wanted to, she's just scared. She hasn't been herself lately" Brooke sighed, looking over at Jake. _Kinda like someone else I know_, Brooke thought, tipping her head to the side.

"Nikki is back in town" Jake announced, causing Brooke to jump up straight in her seat.

"Nikki as in your ex girlfriend Nikki?" Brooke asked, scrunching her eyebrows as she pointed her fingers in reference.

"Yeah" Jake nodded, a small smile forming on his face.

"So are you two like?" Brooke asked, biting on her lip and squinting her eyes. She had always hated Nikki. Lets face it, the girl is a bitch. She was older than the rest of them, but for some reason wouldn't leave Jake alone. Brooke never knew what Jake saw in her, she wasn't even that nice to him.

"Dating again?" Jake asked, and Brooke nodded her head quickly. "Yeah, we've been out a few times."

"Oh my god Jake! Do Haley and Nathan know?" Brooke asked, now sitting on her legs that she had folded underneath her.

"No, you know how Haley feels about Nikki" Jake said, rolling his eyes.

"Well yeah, but she hated Lucas at first too, and now she's warming up to him" Brooke said with a shrug. Maybe a small part of her wanted Jake to tell Haley just so Haley _would _freak out at him. If Jake was dating Nikki, then where did that leave Chae.

"Hey" Lucas said before entering the room so that he wouldn't interrupt Brooke and Jake's conversation. "The foods ready out here" He said, pointing towards the back door.

"Okay, thanks Broody" Brooke smiled up at him, "We'll be out in a minute." He smiled and nodded before going back outside. Brooke turned her attention back to Jake, "So when did she come back?"

"Just a couple weeks ago, I was at the bar with some of my friends from work, and she was just there" Jake said, a small smile appearing on his face. He felt comfortable with Nikki, and he liked that feeling. Whenever Nikki was around, she wanted him all to herself, she would fully commit to him. Whereas with Chae he didn't have that kind of security. He might have liked Chae more, but it seemed like she didn't like as much back.

"Wow" Brooke sighed, her eyes wide open. "That totally sounds like Nikki" she groaned, rolling her eyes when Jake looked away.

"I know you guys don't like her, but she makes me happy Brooke" Jake said as he stood from the couch. "Just try and understand that okay?"

Brooke bit on her lip and nodded her head, "I can do that" She said, knowing that she needed to be there for her friend. If he was happy, then she could be happy for him.

Jake grabbed onto Brooke's hand, pulling her up from the couch. "Thanks Penelope" he smiled, and they started to walk towards the backdoor, "that means a lot."

**

* * *

**

A/N: I hope that chapter was okay. Make sure and review and let me know! I want to get this posted tonight, so I'm not gonna write out thank you's on here. I will send you all thank you's in a review reply though, except the people with anonymous accounts, your thank you will be on here! Thank you to everyone who reviews, they truly are the inspiration for this story, and without them I am positive this story wouldn't have come so far. So THANK YOU so much!

**Thank You's **(For anonymous reviews, the rest of you should be watching for a review reply in your emailJ)

**Bella-** Honestly, I haven't decided if I am going to bring Peyton back again, so don't worry J I'm glad you are loving the Brucas family interaction! Brucas families are perfect! Hahaha, I'm glad you liked Averie's interruption, that's what babies are good for right? Haha. Thank you for always reviewing J I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas3Naley23- **We'll just have to wait and see what happens with Chae J I'm glad you are excited for the Tree Hill trip cuz it starts now, as you know if you have already read this chapter haha. I'm glad you can picture Averie too, that's like really good cuz I want you guys to picture her, so that makes me happy! Thank you so much for your review! I loved it! I hope you like this chapter!

**Katherine- **I love your reviews. I think I say that every time but whatever! Hahaha. I think 'too gifted' is a little farfetched! I can't wait for your review on this chapter cuz I don't like it at all! I don't know what my problem is lately, but I don't know, I won't go into it all on here hahaha. But I'm glad that you are still interested in this story and your reviews always make me feel better! I'm glad you even like the filler chapters haahaha. I'm glad you love all of the calm brucas family moments, because honestly, I hate stories that are like all drama. Real life isn't like that all the time hahaha. I'm glad you love averie! I love her too! I'm glad you liked the Averie/Brooke moment in the grocery store ahhahaa, I liked that part! Hahaha I wish peyton was like that on the show too. She is so gross. And its so true, she has everyone 'wrapped around her scrawny little finger' as you put it so perfectly. I don't get why brooke likes her. Brooke should hate her after all the shit she's put her through! Anyways, I'm glad you liked the chapter, I could ramble on forever, and you know that from my emails hahaha. But I think I'll just stop now and post! Thank you so much for reviewing, you know I love them right??

**Erika- **Squash…that's funny. I guess I'll just take your word for it that its fun! Hahaha I'm glad you like Brucas Vs. Psycho Peythoe (as I like to call her ;)) hahehaha. Your review totally cracked me up. But it usually does! Hahaha yeah, I am anti pucas all the way. They gross me out and make me want to pucas. Its not a good feeling at all. I need to get caught up, I'm waaaay behind. I love your long rambling reviews! I have myspace but I never get on it lol. My friend made it for me against my will, and it angers me lol. I love your long rambling reviews! They are so entertaining, and that is a good thing! I hope you like this chapter, I don't really like it lol. So I hope you do! Thanks for always reviewing and totally cracking me up!!

**Ellie- **haha yes, I love your reviews! Hahaha I hope this chapter gives you your fix for a few days J I must say I'm shocked my story has made your top 5...that is pretty exciting! Thank you! Thank you for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23)- **Bif!! I miss you L I swear I haven't talked to you in days. I've been busy, but I'm sure you have been too hahaha. Hopefully we will get to talk tomorrow! I'm glad you loved the last chapter, but you always do hahaha. I went and visited Maya today, she is so cute and made me think of Averie lol. I love that you picture her now! I'm excited for your gossip J I love story time! I miss you! We will talk soon though! And omg, yes you are my Millie! Its so true! You are so good! Hahaha. I love you Katie!! I'll talk to you soon bif!


	33. I've Got You Under My Skin

**A/N: Okay, so I just want to say that I'm super excited about this chapter! I think my little problem I was having is finally cured, and you have noooo idea how happy that makes me! Like I'm way overly happy right now, its just exciting! So I really hope you guys like this chapter! I tried all day yesterday to update, and it wasn't letting me, it was very frustrating, but at least its here now! The song is 'You're So Last Summer' by Taking Back Sunday…love them! Thank you to everyone that reviews, they seriously are the inspiration for this story, so don't stop sending them :) thank you for supporting this story :) I love you all! Enjoy!!**

**

* * *

**__

And all I need to know is that I'm something you'll be missin'

**Chapter Thirty Three- I've Got You Under My Skin**

"_Lucas_!" Brooke murmured through her giggles, trying to pull the blanket off that was covering the two. "_Luke _stop!"

"Stop wiggling then" Lucas demanded, laughing as Brooke tried to detangle her legs from his, "Keep your voice down, you're gonna wake Sassy up." He whispered as he ran his fingers lightly down Brooke's arms. He held onto her waist, rolling her over on the bed so that he was on top of her now.

"That's not fair!" She laughed as Lucas held her hostage. She wiggled underneath him while he pinned her arms down with his hands. "You are stronger!"

"_Baby_, I gave you a chance" he said huskily into her ear, his warm breath tickling her face making her laugh even more.

"God, your toes are _freezing_" Brooke gasped when his feet traveled up her calves sending shivers through her entire body.

"You shouldn't have taken my socks off" Lucas told her in a whisper as his fingers traveled along her waist, pushing at the tank top that she was wearing.

"Two points for socks!" Brooke said excitedly through her giggles as Lucas' fingers ran along her stomach. "No tickling!" Lucas' fingers kept edging her tank top up her stomach until she reached her hands up to stop him, "Lucas, you can't use your hands…"

Lucas groaned, reluctantly letting go of her shirt, "I let you take off my shirt with your hands" he whined, his chin resting against her shoulder.

"Well, unlike you, I'm not breaking the rules, so you are gonna have to get creative" Brooke said through a smile, "_No hands_" she sang into his ear.

"_Come on_" Lucas whined, his fingers running along her bare skin under her shirt as his lips roamed along her shoulder and neck. She was instantly quiet while her breathing became more ragged, giving into Lucas as she ran her hands over his broad back and into his messy blonde hair. "Game over?" Lucas asked, his hands pulling on the hem of her shirt.

Brooke nodded, sitting up so that Lucas could remove the shirt. His lips landed on hers as they fell back onto the bed and she kissed him hungrily under the blankets while he threw her shirt off of the bed. Brooke brought her fingers to his boxers, running them under the elastic, her fingers fumbling as she tried to free him from the unnecessary and restricting item of clothing. While their tongues dueled and his fingers left burning trails along her skin, she knew she needed him just as much as she could feel that he needed her.

"Brooke, I've been knocking on the door forever, you were supposed to help-" Haley called, her voice growing louder as she walked down the hallway. She stopped talking as soon as she walked straight into Brooke's bedroom and saw Lucas and Brooke moving under the blankets on her bed. "Oh my god, I'm sorry!" Haley groaned, covering her eyes without delay and turning around once she realized what was going on.

Brooke immediately pushed Lucas off of her when she heard Haley enter the room, "Haley" Brooke said breathlessly, trying her hardest not to laugh when she sat up in bed. Lucas laid down beside her, rolling over and burying his head in the pillow. But Haley was already walking out of the room, "Haley, come back…we're still _halfway _dressed" Brooke laughed, not able to hold it in any longer.

"Yeah I can see that" Haley said with a raise of her eyebrows. She stood in the doorway, nodding towards Brooke who had blankets in her lap and from what Haley could tell, only a bra that was barely hanging on.

"_I _have shorts _on _and _so _does _Lucas, _thank you very much" Brooke giggled, reading Haley's thoughts. She couldn't help but find it funny that Haley was so embarrassed. "_Buuut_, if you woulda walked in, say, two minutes later you wouldn't have been so lucky!"

"I'll wait for you downstairs" Haley groaned, shaking her head and leaving the room. "Where's Averie?"

"Next door" Brooke smiled, pointing to the wall, trying not to giggle when she felt Lucas' fingers tickling her again.

Lucas wrapped an arm around Brooke's waist, groaning, "Why did she have to come over so early?"

"Aww, Broody" Brooke smiled, leaning over where he was laying and kissing him quickly. "I promised I would help her get ready for the party…"

"The party isn't till tomorrow," Lucas pulled her closer to him, "Just stay here" Lucas coaxed as his fingers ran along the waistband of her shorts.

"Why, so we can replay last night?" Brooke asked, narrowing her eyebrows and pursing her lips together.

Lucas nodded happily, "That's exactly why…_so_…are we staying?"

Brooke groaned, leaning down again and kissing Lucas. She smiled against his mouth when she felt his hands in her hair, pulling her closer to him. She gave in, pressing her body against his, melting into him perfectly.

"_Brooke you better be getting dressed!" _Haley yelled from down the hall, most likely too nervous to just walk in the bedroom again.

Brooke detached her lips from Lucas, rolling off of him at the sound of Haley's shrill voice. She laid her head on the pillow, turning to face him, "We have the worst luck _ever_."

"Yeah" Lucas said seriously with a nod, he reluctantly got out of bed leaving Brooke there to pout. Putting his selfish wants aside, he lowered his hands in front of him, trying to hide the obvious effect Brooke had on him. "You better go get dressed, she's small…but scary."

Brooke laughed, "_You _are scared of _Haley_?" She brought her hand to her mouth, trying to hold the laughter in when the look on Lucas' face told her he was serious. "Oh my god Lucas, you are!"

"Stop laughing" Lucas said, glaring at her. He picked Brooke's shirt up off of the ground and threw it at her, "You have to admit, she's _kinda _scary…" Brooke shook her head no, biting on her lip to hold in her giggles. He rolled his eyes at her, "I'm going to take a shower.."

Brooke sat up in bed, holding her tank top in her lap. She couldn't help but let her eyes wander over his broad back and shoulders, just watching the muscles in his back constrict and retract made her weak with want and desire. "And you aren't going to ask me to join you?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, trying to sound hurt when she brought her hand up to heart for dramatic effects.

"Not with your best friend downstairs, I think we've already given her an eyeful today" Lucas said, turning around to look at her, his eyes wide just at the thought of Haley, of all people, walking in on them…_again_.

Brooke had stood from the bed by now and was beside him, her fingers running along his chest and over to his shoulders, "But Broody, we can lock the door" She told him with a sigh, cocking her head to the side. Her hands looped around his neck, small fingers dancing underneath his hair, "You know, finish what we started…and Haley has Averie…"

The raspy sound of her voice, and the way her silky brown hair fell over her bare shoulder blades when she tipped her head to the side made Lucas gulp, his breath catching in his throat. Before he knew it, his hands were traveling along her sides, leaving hot trails wherever he touched. He was still reeling from their little game in bed this morning, and Brooke was the release he needed. All thoughts of Haley were immediately erased from his memory when Brooke linked her fingers through his, casually leading him towards the bathroom door, her hips swaying as she walked.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Haley sat in the kitchen, with a jabbering Averie in her high chair. After leaving Brooke to get ready, she had found Averie wide awake in her pack-n-play playpen that Brooke used as a travel crib. Averie was just sitting in there babbling, content with her blanket and purple monkey, but grinned brightly when she saw Haley enter the room. Haley decided to dress Averie, and once she looked through the suitcase that was in the room, she decided that dressing little girls was a lot more fun than dressing little boys. After Brooke still hadn't come out of the bedroom, Haley took Averie downstairs and got the happy little girl some breakfast.

"Alright Ava baby, open up" Haley cheered, bringing the tiny spoon to Averie's mouth.

She was still feeding the baby when she heard a laughing Brooke coming down the stairs. "You're mommy is in _big _trouble" Haley told Averie in a cheery voice as she gave the little girl another bite.

Brooke entered the room, laughing as Lucas followed her closely from behind, his fingers linked through the belt loops of her jeans. She immediately walked towards Averie, leaning down and kissing the baby's head, "Are you eating yummy breakfast?" Brooke asked, smiling as Averie kicked her feet excitedly and smiled up at her mom while babbling a response.

Lucas stood behind Brooke, his hand on her waist while he leaned around her to see Averie as well, "Good to see you so happy this morning Ave" He smiled, reaching his free hand out to ruffle the little girls hair.

"I don't think she's as happy as her dad is" Brooke laughed, winking at Lucas as his hand slid into her back pocket.

"Okay, best friend still in the room!" Haley squealed, waving her arms in front of Brooke's face. "By the way, its been like 30 minutes _and _your hair is _wet_!"

Brooke bounced over to the coffee maker that Lucas was trying to figure out how to work, "You want me to be clean don't you?" She smirked, looking over at Haley and then punching some buttons on the expensive machine.

"I guess I should just be happy you are _dressed_" Haley groaned, keeping her attention on trying to feed Averie. That was even turning into an almost impossible task since the little girl kept trying to look around Haley so she could see her parents. Haley was almost too nervous to turn around and look at them, the hushed voices and giggles from Brooke came as a warning to her.

Brooke carried a mug full of steaming coffee and waited for Lucas to sit down in a chair next to Averie before she sat on his lap. Lucas' hand laid lazily on her lap, while she sipped on her coffee.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Brooke asked, keeping her attention on Averie who was getting restless in her high chair. Averie glared at Haley, spitting out the bite of baby food that Haley had just fed her. The baby smiled and laughed, obviously happy with herself as banana baby food ran down her chin.

Haley just shook her head, used to this sort of thing from feeding her own child. "We need to go pick up the cake, decorate, and I really need you to help me wrap presents" Haley told her, setting down the small bowl and grabbing the wet washcloth that she had ready on the table. She started to wash Averie's tiny hands, and then her face, "Nathan is home with Max, and I think he really wants you and Ava to go over there and hang out" Haley said, turning her attention to Lucas.

Brooke lifted the now clean baby out of her high chair, "Do you think its safe to leave the kids with those two?" Brooke questioned playfully, kissing Averie's fingers when they traveled to her mouth. "I mean, all they think about is beer, basketball and sex" Brooke said with an honest shrug.

Lucas grabbed Brooke's waist, catching her off guard when he pulled her back down onto his lap, "I'm gonna have to live up to that now" he sighed, kissing Brooke when she giggled and turned to face him.

"You two are unbelievable!" Haley groaned, taking Averie from Brooke's arms and leaving the room.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"I can't believe Max is almost one" Brooke sighed, opening the doors to a small bakery. "He's getting so old…I'm gonna freak out when Averie is one, I mean I really just want her to stay a baby forever" Brooke rambled, walking into the small shop being followed by Haley.

"I know, its crazy" Haley muttered, "You better start preparing, two more months and we'll be flying up there for Ave's party."

"Don't remind me" Brooke groaned, flopping down in a chair by the wall. She grabbed a small portfolio that had different pictures of cakes while Haley paid for hers at the counter. They had been running around all day getting everything ready for Max's birthday party. Brooke didn't realize that Haley had so much left to do. It surprised her seeing as she was usually the one to procrastinate but still throw a great last minute party while Haley would be planning it for months just to make sure everything would be perfect.

Haley came back towards Brooke carrying a large cardboard box that held the way too expensive cake. They left the bakery and stopped by a party store before heading home.

"So Jake told me something interesting yesterday" Brooke said casually as she ran her fingers against all of the different colored wrapping papers.

"What did he say? That he misses Chae? He's been so whiney lately, he won't talk to anyone" Haley said, raising an eyebrow. Jake had been so annoying lately, only focusing on work and brooding way more than normal, she would give anything for him to liven up and be his goofy self again. She smiled when she saw blue wrapping paper with tiny, cute animated dinosaurs on it.

"He said that Nikki is back in town, and apparently they are _dating_" Brooke said, rolling her eyes and dropping a roll of basketball covered wrapping paper into the cart.

"No way" Haley gasped, stopping the cart suddenly, causing Brooke to run right into her. "Why would he do that again?"

Brooke shrugged, stepping back from Haley and shaking her head, "I have no idea! She is such a bitch…I bet she only wants him for his money…you didn't see her hangin around before he opened that all ages club! And ready for the clincher…he is like _happy _about it!"

"I wonder if Nate knows…" Haley mused out loud, still in shock by Brooke's sudden revelation.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas and Nathan decided to take the kids to a small park that Nathan had been going to his whole life. He had been bragging about this place called the River Court all day, and Lucas just had to find out what was so great about it.

Nathan pulled up onto a long patch of grass, right in front of an old set of rusty bleachers. There was a tiny court in front of the bleachers with a very beat up basketball hoop.

"This is the great place you have been bragging about all day?" Lucas asked, his eyebrow raised as he stared at the court trying to figure out what was so great about it.

"Yeah" Nathan smiled proudly, getting out of the car without another word.

Both of the guys got their kids out of their car seats, and Nathan grabbed a blanket from the back. He laid it out on the grassy area next to the court and set Max down who immediately toddled away.

Lucas sat down on the blanket with Averie, zipping up her pink jacket when the wind started to blow. He didn't like the unpredictable North Carolina weather at all. One minute it was nice and warm and the next it was cold and looked like it was about to storm.

Nathan jogged over to the court where Max had wandered off to and picked him up, bringing the toddler back to the blanket. He then pulled a tiny basketball out of the bag and handed it to the little boy who happily cheered 'Ball!' and sat contently on the blanket.

"So what's so great about this place?" Lucas asked, looking around him and still not understanding why Nathan loved it so much.

"This was our place in High School, when the school gym got stressful and basketball became more than a game, we always ended up here" Nathan shrugged, not able to explain how much the tiny court had meant. "Anyways, I tried to call Jake to see if he wanted to meet us here but I couldn't get a hold of him."

"Maybe he's with his new girlfriend?" Lucas questioned, running his hand through Averie's hair when she laid her head on his leg, drinking the bottle she had brought with her in the car while she pulled her pink blanket up to her face.

"Jake isn't dating anyone" Nathan said with a unbelievable laugh, he reached his arm out to grab Max before he wandered away again.

"Brooke said that he was dating some girl, she was pretty upset about it too" Lucas said, looking around and trying to remember the girls name. When Averie dropped her bottle and her mouth turned into a huge frown, her eyes squeezing shut like they did before she started to cry Lucas picked her up, cradling her against his shoulder. Her tiny arm wrapped around his neck, her hand gripping a tight handful of his t-shirt before she relaxed into him.

"Mama-Dada" She cried into his neck, while he rubbed her back, slowly soothing her into sleep.

"Who would it be" Nathan wondered out loud, standing from the blanket to chase Max who wouldn't sit still. He walked back to the blanket, holding his son in his lap. He threw the tiny ball in the air, catching it when it fell back down to keep Max entertained.

"She said it was someone Jake used to date, apparently she's a whore, I don't think Brooke even told me the girls real name" Lucas laughed, thinking of how typical that was.

"He hasn't said anything to me about it…He's been pretty distant lately, but he usually tells me if he is dating someone." Nathan shrugged it off, deciding it wasn't really his business anyways. "When she's asleep you wanna play a little one on one?"

"Only if you are willing to lose to a professional basketball player" Lucas shot back playfully, shrugging his shoulders lightly.

"_Ex_-professional" Nathan reminded him with a pointed finger.

"Well, well" Lucas said jokingly, with a raise of his eyebrow, "Don't forget, I get paid to wipe the court with guys like you."

"_Used _to get paid" Nathan laughed, standing from the blanket to retrieve a worn basketball from his car.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

It was finally the day of Max's birthday party, and Brooke and Haley had worked hard all day yesterday to decorate and wrap presents, and much to their surprise, they actually finished everything. When Nathan and Lucas got home and found the dining room table covered with shopping bags, they took the kids into the living room refusing to be of any help other than babysitting.

Brooke was standing in the bathroom curling her short, chocolate brown hair. She smiled when she saw Lucas in the mirror, walking into the bathroom with Averie. She set the curling iron down on the counter and turned around to kiss Averie's chubby cheeks.

She bit on her lip, looking up at Lucas, "I'm glad you decided on that shirt, it brings out the blue in your eyes" she smiled, turning back around to look in the mirror. "If you are ready can you give her a bath, I'm running a little behind."

Averie had just woken up from her nap, and she had slept longer than usual. Ever since they had arrived in Tree Hill, they had been staying up late and it was messing with the little girls sleeping schedule. She had been cranky in the afternoons when she was normally happy, and had been taking longer naps and sleeping in later in the mornings.

Lucas ran his fingers in Averie's dark hair that matched her moms, except hers was sticking out everywhere. "Are you ready for tubby time Ave?" Lucas asked, his voice morphing into _cheery baby voice_. Averie in response smiled shyly, and babbled something unrecognizable before burying her head into Lucas' shoulder, kicking her legs happily at his sides.

Brooke finished her hair while Lucas bathed Averie. Brooke loved times like these, getting to talk to Lucas and watch him with Averie. She loved to see the two together, the way Averie's eyes lit up when she looked at him, and to see how much he genuinely loved the little girl. Seeing Lucas with their baby made her love him even more.

After her bath Brooke laid Averie down on her big bed, putting on the baby's diaper before smothering the tiny girl with baby lotion. Brooke leaned down, blowing raspberries on Averie's stomach, making the little girl squirm with laughter. There was nothing better than the smell of a clean baby.

"Is this the one you wanted?" Lucas asked, bringing a pink bow over to Brooke and holding it out in front of her.

Brooke pulled the white and pink flowered dress over Averie's head, and then looked over at Lucas, she shook her head no, "I said the pink one, you know the one with the white stitching around the edges…I didn't say _light _pink" She told him with a raised eyebrow. She didn't know what Lucas' problem was, it wasn't _that _hard.

Lucas groaned, "it's a freaking hair bow" he mumbled under his breath, she didn't hear the rest but it sounded something like 'damn hair stuff…something something…crazy'.

Brooke just laughed, turning back to Averie, "Daddy doesn't get it, does he Sassy?" Averie just stared at her, grabbing onto the lotion bottle and bringing it directly to her mouth. Brooke stood up from the floor and sat down on the bed next to Averie, pulling the front section of Averie's hair back that always fell into her face. She secured it with a tiny rubber band and watched as Lucas came back into the room, this time with the correct bow. "See, it wasn't that hard now was it?" Brooke questioned, rolling her eyes at Lucas as she secured the bow in the little girls hair.

"Yeah, yeah" Lucas grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets, "Are you ready to go? We were going to be _late _like _fifteen _minutes ago, so according to _my _watch…" Lucas said, bringing a hand up to his chin in thought, "Haley is gonna _kill _you."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Look at all those pretty balloons!" Brooke said cheerily as she got Averie out of her car seat. "We are gonna have so much fun with cousin Max!"

Lucas carried a wrapped box under one arm and Brooke's huge purse in his other hand. He followed her into the house, immediately consumed with the sounds of 'the wheels on the bus' playing through the stereo. They walked through the house and into the backyard where there was a swing set up that wasn't there yesterday.

The backyard was filled with mainly adults, some of whom Brooke recognized and others she didn't. There were kids running around everywhere, and Max was strapped in a swing that was shaped like an airplane while Nathan pushed him.

Brooke snuck up on Haley, placing a hand on her shoulder causing Haley to jump and yelp which in turn made Averie cry. "This place looks great" Brooke grinned, looking around the back yard while bouncing Averie who was already starting to calm down.

"I know, thanks for all of your help" Haley smiled thankfully, taking a big number one candle out of its little box.

Lucas set the present down on a table and walked over to where Brooke and Haley were talking. "One year old and he gets a swing set" Lucas laughed, causing Haley to hit his shoulder. He took Averie from Brooke when the little girl reached out her arms saying 'gimmie'.

"Hey I know you!" Came a high pitched voice from behind them.

Brooke, Haley and Lucas turned around to see a bubbly, blonde haired, ditzy as ever Bevin. She stared at Lucas with a cheesy grin on her face, while her hand rubbed her very pregnant belly.

"Hey Bev" Brooke smiled, figuring her high school friend was talking to her. She had been one of the cheerleaders on Brooke's squad, and the two had loved to party together in High School. But when school ended they drifted apart, and Brooke hadn't seen the girl in years.

"Oh, hey Brooke" Bevin uninterested, looking over at Brooke as if she was noticing her for the first time. She then looked back at Lucas, "I know you from somewhere" She bit on her lip, her eyes looking around while she thought.

"Do I know you?" Lucas asked, you could hear the confusion in his voice as he looked over at Brooke for some idea of who this girl was. Averie clung to Lucas, hiding her face in his shirt, weary of all of the unknown people. Brooke and Haley both just shook their heads and smiled, obviously thinking this was entertaining.

She stuck a finger out in the air, "I know! You were in Sports Illustrated with out a shirt on a few years ago!" Her smile was back and she was nodding her head, obviously proud that she had figured it out. "You see, Tim, my husband…"

Brooke looked at Haley, her eyes wide in shock as she mouthed 'Tim Smith' and Haley nodded and mouthed a very amused 'yes' back.

"…But I love the magazine because all of the guys in it are so hott!" Bevin finished, then out of nowhere her mind seemed to be somewhere else as her eyes darted around. She started to wave her hands wildly in the air over her head, "_Baaaby_, look who I found!" She called, her way too high pitched voice making Lucas flinch.

Brooke was caught off guard when she was lifted in the air after two hands gripped her waist from behind. "Brooke Davis, still as _hott _as ever" Tim smiled into her ear, setting her back on the ground and hugging her tightly.

Brooke smacked at his hands until he released her, "Oh, its _Dim_" She said, unenthused, "Did you forget that you are married, or did the short bus drop you off at the wrong stop?"

"Always so funny" Tim laughed, not getting what Brooke was saying at all.

Lucas was by Brooke's side now, his arm had protectively wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to him. "Who the _hell _is that?" He asked, leaning his head close to hers so only she could hear. The guy was now standing by the pregnant girl, but he was still staring at Brooke, his eyes running all over her.

Brooke lifted her hand, linking her fingers through Lucas' that were rested on her side. She pulled him away from Tim and Bevin who were now busy talking someone else's ear off. "That's the guy that told the whole school he was dating me numerous times through high school" She said bitterly, obviously not finding it funny at all.

"Well, were you?" Lucas asked, looking at Brooke in surprise. From what Lucas could tell, the guy was a complete idiot and he just couldn't see Brooke wasting her time with him.

"Uh, hell no" Brooke cringed, shaking her head just at the thought.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The birthday party was going well. Brooke was having fun meeting some of Haley's new friends and their kids, and Averie had even started to warm up in the unfamiliar situation. Lucas and Nate were playing with the kids, and had even managed to let two ten year olds beat them at a small basketball game. Haley was mingling with all of her guests while doting on her little boy. The weather was perfect, the afternoon temperature was warm but not too hot.

Brooke went into the kitchen to get the birthday cake and candles and heard the front door open. She leaned around the corner and smiled widely when she saw Jake enter.

"I was wondering when you would get here!" She smiled, leaning against the wall with her arms folded across her chest.

"I guess that's code for you missed me?" Jake questioned sarcastically, before opening his arms and hugging Brooke.

"You almost missed cake" She smirked, letting go of Jake and walking back into the kitchen. And that's when she heard the most annoying voice ever.

"Looky looky, Brooke Davis" Nikki grinned, her long black hair falling over her shoulders.

"Nikki" Brooke smiled fakely, almost ready to gag when she saw Jake wrap an arm around her waist and kiss the side of her head. She picked up the large cardboard box that held Max's cake and rested the candles and lighter on top of it, "Everyone's outside" she announced before turning around and bouncing out the door. She really wanted to be supportive of Jake, but just one look at Nikki's eye-liner covered face and tacky black tank top with black jeans made her sick.

Nathan and Lucas were at the swing set, watching as Max climbed up the stairs to the slide and Averie tried to. They were staring at the house and Lucas couldn't help but smile when Brooke walked back outside with the cake. Nathan turned around to grab Max who was about to step on top of Averie just to get to the slide leading up to the steps.

"She's not a speed bump buddy" Nathan laughed, lifting Max over Averie and holding his hand while he slid down the slide.

"Hey, that must be the girl Jake is dating" Lucas said casually while he watched Jake and some mystery woman walk outside after Brooke.

Nathan looked up and all he said was "Nikki?"

"Hey, grab Max, we're gonna do cake and ice cream" Haley announced, walking over to Nathan and placing a hand on his chest.

"Hale's, did you know Jake was dating Nikki again?" Nathan asked, his eyes narrowed. He watched as Nikki ran her hands all over Jake and it made him cringe.

"Brooke mentioned it" Haley said, shrugging it off while she leaned down to pick up Max.

"Well, they are here" Lucas chimed in, picking Averie up off of the ground. He watched as Haley turned around, her face dropping when she saw Jake and Nikki together.

Lucas carried Averie towards Brooke who was lighting the candles on the cake. When he approached her, his hand immediately glided across her lower back causing her to turn her head and smile.

"How's it going?" He asked, his hand still lingering on her back as he leaned forward to kiss her quickly.

"Well, it was going good until Jake showed up with that whore!" Brooke groaned, obviously frustrated with the situation. She just didn't know why he would go after her again when he could do _so _much better. "I mean, did you see what she is _wearing_!" Brooke cringed, throwing her hands out to the side in frustration.

"He's obviously going through a rough time" Lucas laughed, looking over at the very dark girl that was clinging to Jake.

"Well, if I kill Nikki maybe he will see the light at the end of the tunnel" Brooke suggested, tipping her head to the side.

"So, the rumors are true" Nikki purred, stepping beside Brooke, "I can't say that I'm surprised…Brooke Davis getting knocked up by a guy who wasn't her boyfriend at the time…_typical_." Nikki said smiling way to sweetly as she looked at the miniature version of Brooke in Lucas' arms.

Lucas watched Brooke's eyes fill with anger and her fists clench at her sides, he reached a hand out, holding onto her wrist, "She's not worth it" He said quietly, holding Brooke back.

"Unless you want your next period to come out of-" Brooke started, talking through gritted teeth until Jake walked up next to them.

"Hey Luke" he smiled, wrapping his arms around Nikki from behind, "Did Brooke introduce you to my girlfriend?"

"No she didn't" Nikki said, staring at Brooke with the way to happy smile plastered to her face as if she was just rubbing the whole situation in her face.

"Oh, well this is Lucas, Brooke's boyfriend and their daughter Averie" Jake explained, not noticing the tension that was obvious between the two girls.

"Brooke!" Haley called, walking towards them with Max and Nathan, "Do you have the cake ready?"

Brooke nodded and waited as Haley put Max in his highchair that they had brought outside. Brooke was happy fro an excuse to get away from Jake and Nikki and carried the cake over towards the baby while Lucas grabbed the camera so he could be on picture duty. Everyone gathered around, singing happy birthday to Max while Haley and Nathan helped him blow out the candle on his dinosaur cake. Everyone cheered while Lucas took pictures and Brooke watched proudly.

Then they brought out a small round chocolate cake and placed it on the tray in front of Max. Everyone laughed and cheered as the small boy dug into the cake with two hands, his cone shaped party hat tipping to the side on top of his head. He smiled brightly as he shoved fistfuls of cake into his small mouth, causing most of the cake to end up on his face and in his lap.

"Yum yums!" Max grinned, looking over at his parents while his hands dug into the cake for a second time and then a third.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

After getting Max cleaned up from his excitement with the cake they all gathered around to watch him open presents. Brooke and Lucas sat on the grass with Averie while she busied herself with a noisy toy. Brooke leaned against Lucas' chest from her spot in between his legs and smiled while she watched Max play with the wrapping paper instead of being interested in the toy that was actually being unwrapped.

Brooke couldn't help but stare over at Jake and Nikki who were totally consumed with each other. It was driving her crazy to watch them just start kissing right in the middle of a one year olds birthday party. She kept rolling her eyes and making scoffing noises. Even though Lucas couldn't see her face he knew what she was staring at.

Haley leaned over to Brooke, "You know you and Lucas are just as bad as them, you two love to make everyone uncomfortable by making out in social situations" She said into Brooke's ear, not even bothering to hold in the laughs that followed.

Brooke looked over at her friend, glaring at her, "please do not compare me to _her_!" she spat out bitterly, lifting a hand in emphasis.

"I don't see what the big deal is, he seems happy" Lucas added, causing Brooke to turn around and send glares in his direction.

"I'm going to get a drink!" Brooke announced angrily, standing up and walking towards the house. She knew if she had to watch Nikki shove her tongue down Jakes throat any longer she would spend the rest of the night pucasing in Haley's bathroom and that was not how she envisioned her evening.

She pulled open the fridge, scanning its contents. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw the wine coolers on the top shelf, that was _totally _Haley. She reached for the cardboard container that held them and examined the box. "Mmm, peach" she shrugged, pulling one out.

"Brooke" a relieved voice came from behind. Brooke shut the refrigerator and turned around, shocked to see Chae standing behind her.

Brooke's eyes widened as she stared at her friend. Chae was standing in front of her, wearing jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt that she had covering her hands. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head, and she was wearing her glasses. Brooke knew that meant she had been crying and her eyes were too irritated to wear contacts.

"God, I'm happy to see you too" Chae sighed, throwing her arms up and dropping them at her sides. She really didn't want to start crying again, but watching Brooke stare at her like she was an alien wasn't helping matters.

"I'm just surprised you are here" Brooke said, her shocked expression turning into a smile, she set the wine cooler on the counter and stepped quickly towards Chae, pulling her friend into a hug. "I missed you Roomie" Brooke sighed into Chae's hair as she hugged her.

"It's only been like four days" Chae laughed, happy just to be with a friend. She had been so stressed lately, and just felt plain lost. After Brooke and Lucas left for Tree Hill, she wondered if she had done the right thing by deciding not to go. She sat around her apartment for a few days, and after she got tired of sulking she bought a plane ticket.

"You came just in time for Max's birthday party, Haley is gonna be thrilled that you are here" Brooke grinned, pulling away from the hug and immediately linking her arm through Chae's.

"I hope she isn't the _only _one that's thrilled to see me" Chae said dryly. "If she is then I hope that's not the only alcohol in this house" She said, her eyes wandering to the wine cooler that Brooke had just set down.

Brooke's face dropped, that's when she remembered about Nikki. Chae was here _for _Jake, but Jake was here _with _Nikki. Brooke looked over at Chae, giving her a small scared smile. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't just lead one of her best friends into that backyard when there was a white-trash slut hanging all over Jake. If that happened, she would have to watch Chae's heart break all over again.

"Well, I'm guessing everyone's outside, and Jake wasn't at his apartment…I went there first…So obviously he's here" Chae started rambling, she did it all the time when she was nervous. "So what are we waiting for? I mean, its now or never right? I can't hide from my feelings forever!" Chae started to walk towards the back door but was stopped when Brooke seemed to be permanently attached to the ground.

"Wait!" Brooke screeched, shaking her head and pulling on Chae's arm, "Maybe we should go on an alcohol run first, I mean, _wine coolers_? Give me a break!" Brooke said, rolling her eyes while she tried to stall.

"I think if I leave right now I won't be able to muster up the courage to come back" Chae said, her voice cracking as she bit on her bottom lip. She pulled her arm away from Brooke's grasp and walked towards the sliding door.

Brooke hurried behind her, "But Chae, I just don't think it's a good idea…" she said quietly, watching as Chae stepped into the backyard. Brooke immediately scanned the yard, just like Chae was doing beside her. She could see Nikki's back, and could tell the whore was straddling Jake's lap. Luckily Chae couldn't see his face.

"There are tons of people here" Chae said dejectedly as she scanned the huge backyard.

"Maybe he left" Brooke said, her voice coming out in a squeak. She looked over at Lucas who was still sitting by Haley and Nathan in the grass. She stared at his back, willing him to turn around and look at her…she needed backup. She cursed under her breath when he _didn't _turn around.

Chae stepped off of the back porch, "I'm gonna go ask Haley if she's seen him" she decided, walking into the yard.

"Shit!" Brooke cursed, trying her hardest to keep up with Chae. She didn't know why she decided to break in her new Jimmy Choo's now!

"Chae! You're here" Haley grinned, standing up when she saw Chae approach, she wrapped her arms around the girl that had become a pretty good friend.

"Hey babe" Lucas smiled as Brooke crouched down next to him, "Did you know she was coming?" He asked casually, running his fingers along Brooke's arm. He was surprised to see Chae, but was happy too. He knew she needed a little vacation and was genuinely glad she was there.

But being the guy he was, he was totally oblivious to the drama that would unfold due to her unannounced arrival.

"Uh, _no_" Brooke said through gritted teeth, "And she's here for-"

"Jake" Chae gasped, her eyes widening as she watched a dark haired girl climb off of his lap.

Brooke, Lucas, Haley and Nathan all watched as Chae's arms dropped to her side and her bottom lip started to quiver. They looked over at Jake who looked shocked as hell and just couldn't stop staring at her as if he had no idea what she was doing there. Nikki just looked confused, and Brooke couldn't help but find that little part entertaining. _'Don't have much to say now, do ya bitch?' _Brooke thought, raising her eyebrows at Nikki.

Chae turned around, mumbled "this was a mistake" and dashed towards the house.

"Chae, wait!" Jake called, standing from the chair he was sitting in as he ran after her.

Brooke was a close second, murmuring "Oh my god" as she stood and ran after them as well.

Lucas, Nathan and Haley all sat there dumbfounded, while the rest of the party went on as if nothing had happened. None of the people even noticed Chae, and weren't worried about what was going on with the sad girl that had wandered into the yard only to run out minutes later.

"Who the hell was that!" Nikki said in an angry outburst before making her way to the house as well.

_Well, maybe I should hate you for this,_

_Never really did ever quite get that far_

…

_Cuz I'm a wishful thinker with the worst intentions, _

_This'll be the last chance you'll get to drop my name_

**

* * *

**

A/N: So what did you think?? I hope you liked it! This chapter was even longer than usual, which is exciting! Make sure and let me know in your reviews! I am excited to see what you have to say! You guys are the best! Thanks for all of your support, your reviews never go unnoticed…I love them all!

**Thank You's…**_**Well, because you guys are awesome**_**.**

**Jen (courtneylovejason)- **Wow…look who was the very first to review! Way to go! This review wasn't as spaazzy or long as usual, but hey I did get some yelling words which is always a good sign! Hahaha, don't worry about Nikki or Chae…its all just for the fun of the story :) yes, fun! Hahaah you don't hate me but you don't have to like me? You are way too funny. Maybe I should just spoil this chapter for you since you haven't read it yet? No I won't. Hahaha I really am just excited for you to go read this chapter, so go read it! I'm excited to hear what you have to say about it! Thanks for always reviewing buddy!

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)- **Syd, you got the 2nd review. Good job, I mean its probably only cuz I told you I was updating, but that's okay! Hahhaa, I'm glad I surprised you with the Nikki shocker. I thought I would. Nikki's middle name is trouble. Just wait til I bring Owen into the story :) HA! Yes, I can bring Owen in, that's what you get for teasing me about him all the time! Jk, I don't really know if I'll bring him in or not. Hahahhaa Max reminds you of Chunk as a baby. that's funny. I'm gonna have to watch that movie now, I love it! Okay, I'll stop rambling now! Thanks for always listening to my rants :) and thanks for always reviewing, even though you are a crazy …I had to put the stars in, lets just pretend its bleeping hahaha.

**Tanya (tanya2byour21)- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter :) Thank you for always leaving such nice reviews, I love them! I hope you like this chapter!

**Onetreefan- **Hahahahaa, its true, Jake can't wait around forever! Yeah, Kade is a baby, hahaha, that part was so randomly put in but it seemed like something he'd do cuz he's kinda crazy! Anyways, thanks for reviewing! I love them!

**Bella- **I'm glad you liked the last update! Yeah, Nikki is crazy, but I guess she can be redeemed through stories…I've never read a good one about her though hahaha. Then again I don't read a whole lot! Hahaha, Kade is crazy right! He would lie to his mom about something like that. And don't worry, Lucas won't treat on Brooke with Lindsey, I like Lindsey in the show, and I really don't get why everyone hates her! Anyways, thanks for the long review! I love hearing what you think about the chapters, and I'm glad you still love this fic! Thank you for always reviewing!

**Amy (brucas2008)- **hahaha I'm rooting for Chae too! And I'm glad you like haley warming up to luke! She had to eventually right! I'm glad you are liking the reality of this story, and sometimes I worry that its not realistic..so its good to hear that you think it is :) hahahhaa, dang it Chae, he ruined chances of us seeing what their kid would look like! I'm not so sure about the James/Sophia thing….sometimes I think its totally possible and sometimes I think they are just friends! But I do think they would be cute together! Haha. Anyways, thanks for always reviewing, I love them! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- **I can't believe your brother was walking at 8 months. That is so crazy! that's kinda funny though! Your poor parents hahaha. Yes, Jenny would mess things up a bit hahaha. I hope you had fun at your concert! Thanks for always reviewing buddy! I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Jem (flipflopgal)- **Averie is cute huh! I'm glad you love her! I do too! I'm also glad you liked the whole Kade's mom part! Kade is an ass. Hahaha its true, at least we have fanfics to fall back on when mark majorly screws up like usual! Sometimes he makes me wonder hahaha. Anyways, I loved your review as usual, thank you for always reviewing! You are awesome! I hope you liked this chapter :)

**Brucas3- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter…and yeah, the whole Kade thing was kind of unexpected and interesting hahaha. Nikki was pretty shocking! I'm glad you like Chae and Jake together though! Brucas is cute huh! You can't help but love them! Thanks for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Katherine- **Your review was nothing short of amazing…again. Seriously, I don't know how you do it, but I love your reviews. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I'm not really surprised you could tell how unenthused I have been. I'm actually excited about this chapter, and it feels good to be excited about it again cuz I havent been for awhile. So I hope you like it :) I'm a little surprised you think this is one of the top 5 brucas stories just cuz there are so many good ones. That is an amazing compliment, so thank you very much. Hahaha, I hate it when stories are just filled with drama too, it really is so annoying. Like when it's a brucas story and for 90 percent of it they hate each other or aren't together whats the point? Haha. Its annoying! Okay, on to the review itself… you are right, good things can last it just requires work and effort! I'm glad you like Haley standing up for Brooke, but also like that she is warming up to Lucas as well! Hahaha, I'm glad you liked Averie being shy when they met up with Naley. I love the clinging stage as well…its so cute and most kids go through it! Hahaha I'm so glad you love all of the Averie scenes, when writing them I know you will notice them even if no one else does :) I'm also glad you thought the Kade's mom thing was entertaining, he is kinda crazy. I could just see him doing that. I added it like totally last minute, so I wasn't sure how well it would be received! Nikki is crazy…that is undeniable hahaha. She reminds me of like a cat for some reason. I swear she is always drenched in black hahaha. Before this thank you turns into a chapter hahaha…I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I can't wait to hear from you and see what you thought about this chapter! Thanks for always reviewing, favorite reviewer :) "What do you like to drink in 20 years?" "Poison." hahaha. I love Brooke.

**Chasitybsp- **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! Especially with the two families coming together :) I hope you like this one as well. Thanks for always reviewing! I love them!

**Dolcegrazia- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter even though it was mainly a filler! Hahha, I'm also happy to know that you like that they still call Averie Sassy, hahah, I love it too! Haahhaaha, its usually when I update like really late at night that you aren't the first to review, sometimes I'm waaay too much of a night owl! Haha. Anyways, thanks for always reviewing, I love to hear what you have to say!! I hope you like this chapter!

**Reina123- **I'm glad you liked the last two chapter! Thanks for reviewing, its always good to hear from you! I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Othfan326- **Aww, I'm so glad you loved the last chapter! Brucas are just the best aren't they! It is fun for them to be back in Tree Hill, there is no place like home hahahaa. Hahahahaa you are so right about Kade. And I think both of your suggestions of what is wrong with him are right. Wow did that sentence even make sense? Haha. I'm gonna bring Brooke's mom in sometime…I just am not sure when….so we'll just have to wait and see! Thank you for always reviewing! I love them, and I love hearing what you think about the chapters! I hope you liked this one!!

**Natalie (iluvmedou)- **HAhaha, I always love your reviews! They make me happy. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, that is very good to know! 'Cutesy, lovely and charming' are great words to describe a chapter hahaha. Hahaha I'm also glad you liked that Naley wasn't really overbearing too. I mean this is all about brucas hahaha. ha-ha nikki. Enough said. I love your reviews! I hope you liked this chapter, and I'm excited to hear from you :)

**Chebelle- **Hahaha, yes, but you leave awesome reviews, and I wouldn't be able to write the awesome story without them…so yeah, you are awesome haha. You crack me up and I love your reviews! I always watch for them! I agree, Mark should have my brain, but instead he is like totally crazy and obsessed with peyton and crappy storylines! Hahaha. He's not my favorite person ever, obviously! I'm so glad you can picture Averie, I want her in the show too…then that means Brucas would be together..win, win! Hahaha dang it Nikki! You are a genius. Its true. You have all the good ideas! Maybe you should be writing for mark ahhaa. Haahahaha you are so funny. I liked your rant on me messing up brucas, and I like naley too but I'd rather mess them up before messing up brucas, haha, that's mean but whateveR! Hahaha everyone should just be happy and you are right Chake have enough drama for everyone! I'm so glad you liked the chapter, and I've rambled on forever so I'm gonna stop! Anyways, I loooved your review as usual, and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23)- **Hahaha, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Your review was like full of rambling, I loved it! I hope you like this chapter BIF! I'm glad we got to talk today! Thanks for always reviewing my little personal assistant, I can't wait to see what you think of this chapter!

**Ellie- **I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter! That is good to know! Of course I love your reviews, and I'm glad you love my storie! Haha. I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Brucas333- **Haahaha I liked your response to Jake and Nikki. That was priceless. You are too funny. I hope you liked this chapter, and thanks for reviewing!

**Team Davis-Scott- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haaaahaha, I'm glad you liked the mall scene too, Kade really is stupid. Hahha. Thanks for the review, I hope you liked this chapter as well!!

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- **hahaha you are like the 2nd person that's response has been 'ugh' to Jake and Nikki, I love it! Hahaha. Yeah, Kade is just crazy and in denial maybe. I'm glad you loved the chapter though and all the Brucas scenes! I hope you liked this chapter as well, thanks for always reviewing!

**Mea (carebearxo8)- **haha I'm so glad you got a chance to review cuz I love hearing from you! Lucas is a good guy now, you are right! And Haley is warming up to him :) hahaha Luke and Nate bonding is good huh! I like it too! Nikki is crazy. Hahaha I'm glad you liked seeing the different sides with Jake and chae and everything! I'm glad you liked that chapter, I hope you like this one too! Thank you for always reviewing, I love them!

**Christie (sweetchristie03)- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter J and I'm glad you reviewed before you left cuz I always love to hear from you! Hahaha I'm not a big fan of Nikki either! I agree, Chae and Jake do just need a little bit of help! Ugh, I hate ear popping on planes too! It seriously is miserable! I'm glad you think Averie is totally cute with her shyness and clinginess! Thanks for always reviewing, I love them! I hope you like this chapter (when you get a chance to read it!!)

**IamCaroline- **I'm glad you still liked the last chapter even though it was a filler! Haha Kade is crazy. And yeah, you are right the only good thing that came out of Jake and Nikki was Jenny…and since she isn't in this story…nothing good has came from them hahaha. I'm glad you liked the Brucas too! I hope you liked this chapter! Thank you for reviewing!!

**Brucas3Naley23- **hahaha Ugh is right to Jake dating Nikki. I'm glad you love this story still :) that makes me totally happy. I'm glad you liked my other fics too :) that is good to hear. I'm a little surprised you think These Days is one of the best on this site, just cuz there are a lot of stories on here! That is a great compliment though, so thank you very much :) Your review was so sweet. Thank you so much. I'm glad you are enjoying this story and thanks for reviewing!

**Onetreehillgirl066- **hhahaha, pull a Nikki…I like that! Hmmm. I'm not so sure what's gonna happen with her, you'll just have to wait and see ;) haha. Thanks for reviewing!

**Sara…I know you will be caught up one day…but until then I'll just leave you messages from the future? Haha. I dunno. I love you BRF!!**

* * *

A/N: So what did you think?? I hope you liked it! This chapter was even longer than usual, which is exciting! Make sure and let me know in your reviews! I am excited to see what you have to say! You guys are the best! Thanks for all of your support, your reviews never go unnoticed…I love them all!

* * *

And all I need to know is that I'm something you'll be missin'


	34. You Were Mine

**A/N: Okay everyone, here is the next chapter! Sorry it took me so long, I went out of town for a few days last week and that made writing and updating a little difficult, plus I have been working on a new story! But the chapter is here now!! I'm very excited to be finally updating! We hit 800 reviews! How amazing is that? I am so excited! Thank you guys so much, you amaze me! The song in this one is called 'Thick as Thieves' and is by Dashboard Confessional. I hope you guys like this chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

_Not as easy as you think it is. _

_Between you and me, I could fake it if I have to. _

_I don't break easily. _

_I need your counsel, thick as thieves. _

_I have no crime to keep a secret. _

_It was hers, it was not mine. _

**Chapter Thirty Four- You Were Mine**

Haley, Nathan and Lucas all sat back in shock, watching Nikki walk across the lawn and into the house. None of them knew what to say or do. Averie had crawled onto Lucas' lap and started to pull on his ears.

"Did my baby's first birthday party just get ruined?" Haley asked with a frown.

"Chae and Nikki" Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "Can it get any better?"

"I'll be back" Lucas announced, standing up while holding onto Averie, "Will you watch her?" He asked Haley, knowing that he didn't want his innocent baby in the middle of what he expected was a pretty big screaming match. When Nathan nodded Lucas tried to hand Averie to him which made the little girl grip onto his arm tightly and scream loudly.

"She's a drama queen" Nathan said with a raised eyebrow, taking Averie knowing that she would calm down after Lucas was gone.

Lucas didn't know what to expect walking into Haley and Nathan's house, but what he saw was actually quite humorous. Jake was standing in front of the closed bathroom door, which he figured Chae was behind. Meanwhile, Nikki tugged on his arm obviously trying to figure out what was going on while Brooke refereed.

"Jake, what the hell is going on?" Nikki growled, pulling on him and trying her hardest to drag the guy away from the bathroom door.

"Why don't _you _stay out of it?" Brooke snapped before Jake could say anything. She glared at Nikki before turning her attention to the door.

"Not now Nikki" Jake said through gritted teeth before turning back to the bathroom, "You can't stay in there forever" he yelled to the door.

"I swear bitch, you can either wipe that smirk off your face or I'll do it for you" Nikki shouted towards Brooke while Brooke just smiled at her smugly.

"What was that?" Lucas asked, walking up behind Nikki, "I really hope you didn't say what I think you did…"

Nikki folded her arms across her chest, not saying a word. This only made Brooke smile more and Nikki fume.

"Don't have much to say now do ya?" Brooke cheered, bouncing towards Lucas, resting her hands on his shoulder and popping her leg before sticking her tongue out at Nikki. She knew it was childish, but she couldn't help it.

"Chae, come on" Jake groaned into the door, "We obviously need to talk…"

"I'm ready to go Jake, _now_" Nikki groaned, "I'll be in the car" as she turned to walk away she made sure to give Brooke one last hard look.

"Bye Nikki, it was great seeing you again" Brooke said in the sweetest tone she could muster up.

"It would've been nice if you told me she was coming" Jake said angrily to Brooke as he stepped away from the door.

Brooke could tell he was pissed off, and she didn't like it at all. "I didn't know" she said, shaking her head. He raised an eyebrow at her, obviously not believing what she was saying. "I really didn't…"

"Come on, lets give them some space" Lucas told Brooke, grabbing onto her hand and pulling her away.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Do you think they are okay to leave in there alone?" Brooke asked, nervously biting on her lip as Lucas drug her back outside to the party. "I mean, I don't think Nathan and Haley have anything like _breakable_…But ya never know."

Lucas chuckled, shaking his head at his crazy girlfriend, "Brooke, they'll be fine, we need let them work things out by themselves."

Brooke shrugged, linking her fingers through Lucas' as they walked into the backyard. "Yeah, I guess you're right…"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

As soon as Jake was alone in the hallway he leaned his head against the bathroom door. He didn't know what to do or think. This was not a situation he wanted to be in, and he was kind of mad at Chae for it.

"I'm not going to sit here all day begging to a closed door" Jake warned, his voice nowhere near nice. He waited for a few more seconds, and much to his surprise the door opened and Chae was standing before him. "I don't know what you expected Chae."

"Well, I guess what I _didn't _expect to find was you covered in a stripper" Chae said plainly, leaning against the doorway and folding her arms in front of her.

"I'm not gonna argue with you right now-"

"Right," Chae nodded, pursing her lips together, "You better get back to the hoe."

Jake brought his hands up to his head, turning his back to Chae, "I thought you were classier than that, when you are ready to talk call me."

She watched as he walked out of the hallway and left the house.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke and Lucas were sitting at a small picnic table feeding Averie when they saw Chae coming into the backyard. There were still a ton of people back there, Nathan was barbequing and everyone was eating and talking.

Averie clapped her tiny hands and kicked her feet as Lucas fed her bites of mashed potatoes. Brooke laughed at the funny little girl, holding onto her tight when she got so excited.

"How'd it go?" Brooke asked as Chae sat down next to her.

"Well, he freaked out and left" Chae said without any emotion, laying her head on Brooke's shoulder. She couldn't believe how worn out she was, she just felt so tired.

"I'm sorry" Brooke frowned, patting Chae's knee with her free hand.

"Its okay, I shouldn't have come…I don't know, I guess I just thought we could work things out" Chae shrugged.

"Well, maybe you still can" Brooke smiled hopefully, receiving a funny look from Lucas.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

When Jake pulled up in front of Haley and Nathan's house for the second time today Chae was waiting on the porch for him. She climbed into his car quickly, but didn't say anything. They rode in silence the whole way to his condo, neither of them daring to look at the other. Once they were in front of his home, they both went inside, waiting until the door was securely shut behind them to start talking.

"So, that girl…she's not like _here _is she?" Chae asked awkwardly, walking through the hall and into the living room.

"Nikki? No, she's at her place" Jake said calmly, sitting down in his big reclining chair.

"Are you two like-"

"Dating?" Jake asked, and Chae slowly nodded her head. "Yeah, we are. It's not like I could just wait around for you forever Chae" He said bitterly, leaning back into the chair and watching as she uncomfortably folded her arms. "You wouldn't even answer my phone calls, what was I supposed to do? I had to move on eventually, and it sounded like you did too…"

She turned her head to the side, inhaling deeply and trying to stop her eyes from filling with fresh tears. "I'm sorry Jake, I was just confused and I needed to work through everything. I know you couldn't wait forever, but I guess I just wasn't expecting this."

"The world doesn't revolve around you" He said quietly, shaking his head.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

It had been a few hours since Chae's arrival and then Jake's angry departure. Chae sulked around until she finally gave in and called Jake to talk to him. He didn't waste time and was there to pick her up shortly. Brooke made Chae promise to call when they were done talking.

"Well that was intense" Haley groaned, falling down onto the couch as the last of the guests had gone.

"Ya think?" Brooke laughed from her spot on the floor where she was playing with Averie and Max.

"What's going on with them anyways, I thought Chae was dating?"

Brooke shrugged, a smug smile on her face. "She was, but how romantic is it that she just showed up out of the blue to get her man back!"

"Jake was pissed" Lucas laughed, walking into the living room with Nathan and a six pack of beer. Brooke looked up at him, her eyes narrowed into a glare. "What! He was. Did you see his face?"

"He was just surprised" Brooke huffed, turning her attention back to the noisy babies.

"So surprised that he stormed out of here like a mad man" Nathan laughed, sitting by Haley on the couch and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Too bad he's dating Nikki" Haley sighed, leaning into Nathan and closing her eyes. She was worn out from getting ready for the birthday party and then actually throwing it.

"Yeah, and Nikki's a bitch, he's obviously gonna dump her now that Chae's back" Brooke smiled, raising an eyebrow.

"Brooke, you really need to try and watch your language…Max is starting to talk more and I just don't want him to pick up on those words" Haley groaned, keeping her eyes closed while she spoke, which was good considering Brooke was just making mocking faces while she spoke anyways.

"I didn't really think Nikki was that bad" Lucas shrugged, leaning back on his hands as he sat by Brooke on the floor.

"Oh, she's pretty bad" Nathan chimed in, "I hope he works things out with Chae…she's way hotter anyways."

"Nathan!" Haley screeched, sitting straight up.

"Not as hott as you baby" Nathan smiled, his charm working for him once again.

Brooke inhaled and exhaled loudly, "I haven't heard from her yet, I bet they are already having sex" she shrugged, smirking over at Lucas.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Jake and Chae hadn't gotten far with their talking. After arguing, they both sat silently on opposite ends of his living room. He organized magazines on his coffee table over and over again while she picked at her finger nails. They were both way too stubborn to get anywhere in their complicated relationship.

From the looks of it, it was getting late. Chae wasn't really sure what time it was, but it was looking really dark outside. She wondered if she should just call either Brooke or a cab and just leave, because talking with Jake was getting no where. He had seemed pretty frustrated and upset with her, and it caught her off guard. Now she didn't know what to do, or what to think so she just sat on the couch, curled in the corner and waited. She wasn't sure what she was actually waiting for, but she did it anyways.

"I'm sorry Jake" she said finally, her voice coming out quiet, and not as shaky as she feared it would. He looked up at her, and she bit on her lip. "I shouldn't have ambushed you like this. And I'm sorry for not answering your calls, and I'm sorry that I didn't let you in before."

He shook his head softly, "It's okay. Anyways, I should be the one apologizing, I shouldn't have freaked out at you like that. I just see you again and I just-"

She stood from the couch, her feet carrying her to Jake as fast as possible. Before she knew it she had fallen onto his lap, her arms were wrapped around his neck and she was whispering "I missed you so much" into his ear. She knew she wasn't crazy when she felt his arms wrap around her waist and his body relax against hers.

His fingers tightened on her waist and she lifted her head away from his shoulders and was looking straight into his eyes. As she felt her chest start to rise and fall quicker with every breath, she swore she could hear his breathing speed up as well. It seemed like they were looking into each others eyes for minutes instead of only seconds before he leaned towards her, his lips crashing onto hers with full force.

Her hands ran through his curly brown hair while their tongues dueled with each other. The kiss was rough and hard, each of them letting out all of their feelings with that one single kiss. Chae ran a hand down Jake's chest, pulling and tugging on his shirt. The way she saw it was that they needed to make up for lost time, and Jake seemed to be thinking the same as he ran his hands all over her. They refused to let their lips part, in fear of actually losing each other again. But when breathing was becoming a necessity, Chae pulled away from him, her lips swollen and red and Jake's face flushed.

Their breathing was heavy as they stared at each other, and Jake offered her a weak smile which made her smile in turn. This time it was Chae that attached her lips to Jake's, but before the make out session got too intense Jake pulled away.

"I can't do this" he said breathlessly, his grip on Chae loosening as he shook his head. She looked at him with a puzzled expression, and he leaned back closing his eyes. "I can't do this to Nikki."

Chae climbed off of Jake, that was definitely a mood breaker. She couldn't believe that she actually thought they had a chance. She walked over to the couch, gathering up her purse, too embarrassed to even be there.

"Chae," Jake groaned, standing and rushing to her side. He reached his hand out, grabbing onto her wrist to stop her from walking away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let that happen…"

"I shouldn't have been so stupid" She shrugged, pulling her hand away from his grip.

"I really like Nikki, and we have a lot of history…" Jake said quietly, staring at Chae's back, watching her bring her hand up to her forehead from behind.

"History like we have history?" She said, her voice sounding a lot more exhausted than it had before. It didn't have that bite in it that it usually had, she sounded defeated.

Jake groaned, not even knowing what to say to her. "Me and you…we just…it's hard with us."

"But Nikki is _easy _right?" Chae questioned, raising her eyebrow and turning to face Jake.

"I'm sorry" he said, "I just don't know if we could work, and I can't do that to Nikki."

"If that's what you want" Chae shrugged, not in the mood to argue with him. She walked out of the living room and heard Jake following her.

"Where are you going?" He asked, stopping her before she reached the front door.

"You said it was over between us, so I'm leaving" she said, smiling softly up at him. She bit on her lip, noticing the sadness that was etched in Jake's features. She stepped towards him, placing a hand on his chest and leaning towards him, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Bye Jake."

He felt his breath catch in his throat as he watched her walk out of his front door, and out of his life. All he hoped is that he made the right choice.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke sat on the bed in the guest bedroom, watching as Lucas read Averie a book before bedtime. He was leaning against the headboard while Averie sat contently on his lap in her purple footed pajamas. This had become their bedtime routine, and all three loved it. Lucas and Brooke had noticed since being in Tree Hill that they needed to keep their routines with Averie as close to normal as possible. The tiny girl had much better nights when they didn't keep her up late, and kept her routine normal. Averie reached her small hand out for Brookes, her little fingers wrapping around Brooke's larger ones. She started to yawn, holding her pink blanket against her face with her free hand while she sucked on her binky. Her eyelids slowly started to flutter shut, but Lucas finished reading the book anyways.

Brooke stood from the bed, taking Averie from Lucas after he kissed the little girl. She kissed the sleeping baby goodnight before slowly lowering the tiny girl into her pac-n-play playpen that doubled as a travel crib. Lucas was at Brooke's side by now and he reached in the small crib, lifting a ducky covered blanket over his baby. They both left the room quietly, shutting the door behind them.

"She was so tired" Brooke yawned, walking down the hall past her bedroom.

"It was a long day," Lucas agreed, he squinted his eyes as he watched Brooke walk towards the stairs, "Where are you going? I'm pretty sure I caught you closing your eyes during the story too…"

"I'm kinda hungry though" she shrugged, pursing her lips together as she turned around to look at him, "And if you want to be like, the best boyfriend _ever_…I was thinking you could make me a grilled cheese?" She questioned, her face lighting up in a dimpled grin.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke sat on the counter, swinging her legs underneath her as Lucas made them grilled cheese sandwiches. "I don't know how you are so perfect at making those" she said mater of factly, watching Lucas flip the sandwich over in the pan. "I mean, they aren't the easiest things to make."

Lucas laughed, holding his spatula up as he looked over at Brooke, and by the look on her face, she was being totally serious. "Babe, they are like fool proof."

"No way" she said, shaking her head from side to side, "They burn so easily."

He rolled his eyes, laughing as he lifted the perfectly golden sandwich from the pan and placing it on a plate. He used the spatula to cut the sandwich into four tiny triangles. He carried the plate to where Brooke was sitting on the counter, setting it down and then resting his hands on either side of her, standing between her swinging legs.

"You can't even make a grilled cheese sandwich…what would you do with out me?" He asked, dramatically, bringing his face closer to hers until he could feel her breath on his lips.

She shrugged, smiling playfully at him, "Well, I guess I'd just eat burnt sandwiches" she giggled, before leaning down, capturing his lips in hers.

His hands moved from the countertop to her thighs, his fingers traveling up her bare legs until they reached the bottom of her shorts. He felt her smile against his lips before she pulled away, making him groan.

She reached for the plate, "Sorry turbo, we need to eat this before it gets cold" she told him with a shrug, lifting the sandwich to her mouth, taking a bite and nodding as she chewed. "Mmm, yeah, that's really good."

Lucas leaned forward, taking a bite out of the piece she had just bitten off of, "Yeah, that is good" he agreed, "You totally owe me" he said with a wink before walking away from the counter and to the fridge.

"Owe you?" Brooke repeated with a raised eyebrow, "I think I can handle that…"

Lucas walked back towards Brooke with a glass of milk. She immediately took it from his hands, taking a long drink before handing it back. While they were eating their nighttime snack they heard the front door open and close. Brooke raised an eyebrow at Lucas, wondering who it would be.

"It's probably Chae" he said, already knowing what she was wondering.

"But she doesn't have a car" Brooke said, still confused.

"Jake probably dropped her off" Lucas shrugged, one hand protectively placed on her leg while the other held onto the glass of milk. He took another bite out of the sandwich she was holding.

"But, if she's here that means things didn't go well with them, and if things didn't go well then she wouldn't have asked him for a ride" Brooke said, trying to process what was going on.

"Well who else would it be?" Lucas asked. They heard the footsteps growing closer, and both of them were shocked when they turned towards the entry way and didn't see Chae standing there.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Chae walked down Jake's driveway, part of her hoping that he would come after her. As she walked down the street, he didn't come. She grabbed her phone from her purse and scrolled through the phonebook. When she landed on Brooke's number she hesitated. She really needed to talk to her best friend right now, Brooke had been with her throughout her whole relationship with Jake, and she knew her friend would know the right things to say.

She stared at the screen, and flipped her phone shut. She didn't want to call Brooke. She didn't want to have to relive everything that had just happened, and really she just wanted to be out of Tree Hill and away from Jake. It was just too much to be there right now, and she needed space from him.

She felt tears running down her cheeks and couldn't even remember them forming. She didn't bother to wipe them away when she opened her phone and pushed buttons until she ended up in her dialed calls folder. She pressed the button to call the number for a taxi that she had used earlier.

When the voice came on she told them where she was, and was relieved when the nice lady said there would be a cab there in a few minutes. She was just glad there was already a driver in that area.

Chae sat down on the sidewalk, pulling her long sleeve's over her hands and just letting the tears fall from her eyes. She wasn't sitting there for long when a cab pulled up in front of her. She opened the door and climbed inside.

"Tree Hill Airport" she told the driver, who in turn nodded and pulled out of Jake's neighborhood.

It was hard to believe that her and Jake were actually over. He had a chance to take her back, but he didn't. She would be lying if she said it didn't hurt. If anything her break from Jake over the last few months made her feelings for him grow stronger…but apparently it wasn't the same for him.

"You can't help who you love" she sighed to herself, leaning back into the seat and closing her eyes, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas stared in the entry way to the large kitchen. He set the glass of milk down on the counter, bringing his hands up to his eyes and rubbing them. When he opened his eyes again, she was still there. He didn't know who she was, but what he did know was that she looked just like Brooke, only older. The lady had dark brown hair that fell down her shoulders in perfect waves. She was dressed in a nice skirt and jacket, and he could almost swear Brooke had the exact red designer heels that she was wearing. He watched as a smile formed on her lips, but it wasn't welcoming and there were no dimples.

"What are you doing here?" Brooke asked, her voice sounding guarded. She had dropped the sandwich as soon as the woman had entered the room, resting her hand on top of Lucas' and squeezing it tightly.

"Well, seeing as this is my house, I should be asking you" The woman smirked.

"Victoria-"

"See, I was enjoying the Florida sun while your father played in one of those golf competitions of his when I got the weirdest phone call…" Victoria was now walking around the kitchen, her fingers pressed together in front of her.

Lucas looked up at Brooke, noticing that she didn't look happy at all. He had figured this was her mom, and once the lady mentioned 'father' he knew his assumptions were right.

"…See, Mrs. Roberts called me and told me the strangest thing" she said, stopping to look over at Brooke.

"Mom-" Brooke tried again, only to be cut off once more.

"What have I told you about calling me that…it makes me sound _old_" Victoria frowned, saying the words as if they left a gross taste in her mouth.

Brooke slid off of the countertop, brushing Lucas' hand away when he tried to reach for hers. "Well, at least the botox is working for you" Brooke shrugged, her voice turning bitter.

"Now, now" Victoria said, pointing a finger at Brooke. "Where was I? Oh, right. The phone call. Joan called to inform me that she had a little run in with my fabulous daughter…her words, not mine. Anyways, the part that was shocking was the mention of a new boyfriend and a baby. Surely my daughter would be smart enough to not get knocked up."

"Excuse me, you don't know what you are talking about" Lucas said, his voice rising as he stepped up next to Brooke.

"How sweet, you are defending my poor little daughter" Victoria said, her head tipping back as a shrill laugh escaped her throat. "Now Brooke, please tell me that Joan Roberts is just as delusional as she has always been?"

Brooke shook her head, "No, she was telling you the truth." Seeing the look on Victoria's face was priceless. It almost made Brooke wish she had told her mother about Averie sooner.

"If you had a baby, I would think you would tell me" Victoria said, her words coming out slow and unsure.

"Hmm" Brooke sighed, bringing a finger up to her chin. "I guess the birth announcement must have gotten lost in the mail." She shrugged, "Sorry Victoria."

Victoria pulled out one of the large kitchen chairs, sitting down in it and bringing a hand to her forehead. "I thought I raised you better than that."

Brooke shook her head, "That's where you're wrong, you _didn't _raise me. And Averie is the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"God Brooke, when are you going to do something right?" Victoria sighed, shaking her head towards her daughter.

"Mrs. Davis, I find it a little funny that you are sitting here putting your daughter down when she is becoming a very accomplished designer-"

Victoria laughed, cutting Lucas off, "Right, that little website…"

"I take it you don't read magazines, because Brooke is popping up everywhere" He smiled when he watched Victoria's face drop, yet again. "It's sad that you don't even know your own daughter. I bet you didn't know that she just signed a deal with Macy's…It's also surprising that you just found out you have a granddaughter and you haven't asked a single question about her. But don't worry, she's great…perfect even, the spitting image of her amazing mom."

Brooke smiled, leaning into Lucas and letting out a relieved breath when she felt his hand squeeze hers. It felt good to actually have someone stick up for her, especially to her mom. Victoria had always been her biggest critic, and just seeing the surprised look on her face made Brooke glow.

"I-I don't know what to say" Victoria stuttered, her elbows leaning against the large kitchen table. She looked over, noticing the high chair that Brooke and Lucas had set up there for Averie. She saw baby food jars on the kitchen island, and tiny shoes on the ground.

"You could start by apologizing to your daughter" Lucas shrugged, "Just an idea though."

All three adults were silent until a static-sounding noise came from the baby monitor on the counter. They heard Averie crying, the words 'mama and dada' evident through her wails. Lucas and Brooke looked at each other while Victoria stared at the baby monitor.

"Do you want me to go get her?" Lucas asked, staring into Brooke's hazel eyes as she nodded slowly. "Will you be okay?" he asked, watching as she nodded once more. He leaned towards her, placing a kiss on her forehead, his fingers holding onto hers while he walked away until he had to let go. He grabbed a clean bottle off of the counter, quickly filling it with warm water and baby formula, shaking it up as he left the room.

Brooke walked to the kitchen table, sitting down on a chair across from her mom.

Victoria looked up at her, "What he said…about the clothes, is it…is it true?"

Brooke smiled to herself, "Yeah, it is. Shocking right? You always said I wouldn't get anywhere with my designs, that I had a one in a million shot. But I made it, I guess I'm that one in a million, and it feels good."

Victoria rolled her eyes, her attitude changing back to normal. "So what? Macy's likes a few of your dresses…that doesn't really mean much does it?"

Brooke sighed, shaking her head. She looked down at her fingers as she tapped them against the table. "Can't you just say you're proud of me?" She asked, her voice quiet.

Victoria was silent, and Brooke wasn't surprised.

"How old is she?" Victoria asked, nodding towards the high chair at the end of the table.

Brooke smiled, just like she did every time she thought of her daughter. "She's just over ten months old." Brooke looked up and noticed Victoria staring at her intently, and even though her mom wouldn't admit it, Brooke could tell she wanted to know more. And Brooke didn't blame her. "She's funny, I mean, she has to sleep with this certain pink blanket, we have the same blanket in purple and she won't have it. And when Lucas reads to her, she listens…she loves books. She likes to be the center of attention, but lately she won't let me and Lucas leave her side. She has this really crazy long brown hair, and she's had it since she was a baby. She's beautiful, and smart, and has an amazing personality already. We love her a lot."

Victoria nodded and smiled, keeping her eyes focused on anything but Brooke's.

"Do you want to see her?" Brooke asked. Even though Victoria was a bitch 95 percent of the time, she was still Brooke's mom and Brooke loved her. She knew Victoria was just wrapped in a tough shell, forbidding anything to enter it.

Victoria's eyes met Brooke's, and Brooke was surprised when she saw a tint of hope in her mothers eyes.

"Could I?" Victoria asked, her voice nervous.

Brooke nodded slowly, smiling at her mom. She left the room, walking up the large staircase. She stood outside of the room that Averie was sleeping in and could hear Lucas talking quietly to her. She slowly pushed the door open, walking inside and smiling as Averie shot straight up in Lucas' lap when she saw her mom.

"How'd it go with your mom?" Lucas asked, running his fingers through Averie's silky hair.

Brooke shrugged, "Better than usual…She wants to meet Ave…"

Averie perked up, dropping the bottle from her hands and giggling at the mention of her name.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Lucas asked. From what Brooke had said about her mother previously, and from his short encounter with the woman, Lucas didn't like her. He got a bad feeling from the lady, he hated the way she talked to Brooke. He wasn't sure if Victoria Davis even deserved to meet Averie.

Brooke sighed deeply. "She's my mom Lucas…"

Lucas nodded, standing from the bed with Averie in his arm. "Okay." He stepped towards Brooke, resting his free hand on her waist. "I understand" He said softly, leaning towards her and kissing her lips softly, letting the kiss linger.

She smiled, licking her lips as he pulled away, "Thanks Luke."

He nodded, his fingers still resting on her waist. He turned his attention to the way to awake baby in his arms, "Ready to go meet your grandma?"

Averie babbled, waving her purple monkey around as she 'spoke' to her mom and dad, getting even more excited when her parents smiled and laughed at her.

"Too bad she doesn't know how to say 'Grandma'…I mean, could you just imagine Victoria's reaction to someone calling her grandma?" Brooke laughed, running her fingers through Averie's messy hair. She reached for a tiny purple clip on the dresser, securing Averie's hair out of her face.

"Can you say Grandma?" Lucas asked Averie.

Averie smiled, her response sounding something like "Mama-Dada…babble, babble…no…babble, babble….gimme, no….baba!"

"It was worth a try" Brooke shrugged.

They went downstairs and into the kitchen where Victoria was still sitting at the kitchen table. Brooke took Averie from Lucas and sat down across from her mom again while Lucas stood in the doorway.

Brooke rested Averie on her lap and the little girl immediately started pounding her tiny hands against the table…until she noticed the strange lady sitting across from her. Then Averie squirmed in Brooke's lap, burying her face in Brooke's shirt.

"This is Averie" Brooke smiled, she leaned her head down next to Averie's, "Can you say hi, huh Sass?"

Victoria leaned towards Brooke, actually smiling towards the little girl. Brooke whispered in the tiny girls hair, and finally she reached a hand out, waving while keeping her head buried in Brooke's shoulder.

"She looks just like you" Victoria mused, smiling at the little girl in her daughters arms.

"Yeah, but she has Luke's eyes" Brooke grinned, looking up at Lucas who was casually standing by the door. Averie moved around, turning to look at the strange lady.

"Well, this sure was a surprise" Victoria said, her voice turning from nice back to her normal overbearing voice. "I really should get going though" she said firmly, standing from the chair.

"Its late" Brooke said, shaking her head.

"Well, this trip was last minute and I need to get back to Florida by morning. If I didn't have to check up on you like a five year old then I wouldn't have this problem" Victoria sighed, walking out of the kitchen.

Brooke stood up, following her mom to the front door. Averie laid her head on Brooke's shoulder, twirling Brooke's hair around in her tiny fingers.

"But mom-"

"Brooke, what did I tell you? Stop calling me that. I've gotta go, try and stay out of trouble" Victoria said, her voice condescending.

Before Brooke had a chance to say anything else Victoria was gone, the large red door closed after her.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked, stepping behind Brooke, wrapping an arm around her waist from behind.

Brooke nodded, biting on her tongue to hold back the tears. She turned around to face him. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think she is just surprised to see me doing so well, and that scares her," Brooke shrugged. She leaned down, kissing Averie's head. She looked back up at Lucas who was staring intently at her, "Baby," Brooke frowned, "You're brooding," She said, placing a hand on Luke's cheek.

"That lady…I just…I don't want her to get to you Brooke, you aren't what she says you are, and I hope you know that" He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut for a second. "You are beautiful and successful. You are a great mom, and you can do anything you want. I just want you to know that."

Brooke smiled, "Thanks Lucas…thanks for always believing in me." She rested her head against his shoulder, "We should probably get her back to bed" Brooke laughed, looking over at Averie who's head was still rested on her shoulder. The little girls eyes were heavy, and her fingers had stopped twirling Brooke's hair.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke and Lucas tip-toed out of Averie's room after getting her back to sleep. Brooke practically fell into Lucas' arms as soon as they were in the hall.

"I'm so tired" She sighed, her arms straight down at her side while her body leaned against his.

Lucas laughed, bending over and placing one arm under her knees while the other rested against her back. He lifted her up in his arms, "Well, lets get you to bed then Pretty Girl."

Brooke smiled, wrapping her hands around his neck and leaning her head against his shoulder. "You are crazy" she yawned.

Lucas laid Brooke on the bed, and took off her shorts putting on her favorite flannel pajama pants. She sat up, raising her hands over her head and letting him pull off the designer tank top she had been wearing. He pulled a baggy t-shirt over her head, kissing her forehead once she was dressed. He watched as she curled up in bed, pulling the blankets up all around her. After taking off his shirt and shorts, he climbed in bed behind her, waiting as she immediately curled up against him.

As soon as she got comfortable and closed her eyes her cell phone started to ring. She started to shift around, but Lucas just tightened his grip around her.

"Just leave it" he said sleepily, smiling when she sighed tiredly and relaxed back against him.

The phone finally stopped ringing, and after only a few seconds of silence it started to ring again.

Brooke groaned, and Lucas sat up. "I'll get it" he told her, reaching for the phone that was resting on the bedside table. He read the screen and opened the phone, placing it against his ear, "Dude, its like 11:30..."

"_Sorry, is Brooke asleep?" Jake asked, sounding frustrated. "Oh god, did I interrupt something?"_

Lucas laughed, "No you didn't, and yeah she's asleep. She's exhausted…"

"Who is it?" Brooke mumbled, opening her eyes and looking up at Lucas. She waited as he handed her the phone, "Hello?"

"_Hey, is Chae there?" Jake asked, not wasting time._

"No" Brooke yawned, "I thought she was with you?"

"_We ended things for good, she was pretty upset and I just wanted to make sure she made it there okay" Jake sighed._

"Well, she's not here" Brooke told him again, "Why did you end it? You two aren't over each other."

"_Brooke, I know you love playing match maker but I really like Nikki and me and Chae just don't make sense together, so drop it."_

"Geez, sorry" Brooke groaned, rolling her eyes.

"_It's no big deal. I'll talk to you later Davis" Jake said, before hanging up the phone._

Brooke closed the phone, "Well that was weird" She sighed, shaking her head. "I hope Chae's okay, I guess they ended things for good and she left upset…but she isn't here." Before Lucas could respond she had dialed Chae's number and had the phone up to her ear. It went straight to voicemail and Brooke closed the phone. "She isn't answering her phone…"

Lucas grabbed the cell phone from Brooke and opened it. He went into her inbox and waved the phone around, "You got a text from her a little over an hour ago, it says she's on her way back to New York."

Brooke nodded, leaning back into Lucas. He put the phone back on the bedside table, wrapping his arms around Brooke once again. The house was quiet and just when Lucas thought Brooke was asleep she started to move around.

"I'm glad I have you Luke" she said, her voice sleepy as she spoke. "I'm happy we didn't end up like Chae and Jake."

"Me too" Lucas sighed, pulling Brooke closer to him, "But you don't have to worry about that."

"Yeah" Brooke said, her voice slow and tired.

"I love you Brooke" Lucas told her, his fingers running along her back as her face was pressed against his shoulder. Her legs were tangled around his and he could smell the distinct smell of sweet pea and vanilla in her hair. He smiled, knowing that as he held her in the dark, that this was his life. Between the woman in his arms and the tiny girl sleeping in the next room, it was all he needed.

"Mmm" Brooke sighed, smiling, "I love you too Broody."

* * *

****

A/N: Okay, what did you think? Make sure and let me know in a review :) I will have the next chapter up in a few days, I promise I won't make you wait so long this time! Okay, just so you all know, I'm going to be jumping ahead again in the next chapter. I'm going to be jumping around more often because the story is getting closer to the end. But I will explain where we are in the story in the next chapter just so no one is confused! Thanks for always being patient with me, and thank you to everyone who reviews! You guys are what keeps this story going so thank you! XOXOX Lindsay

**-Thank You-**

**Liskaatjeuh- **I'm am so happy to hear that you love this story! Its great that you have been with it since the beginning, and I am happy you are reviewing now! I'm so glad that you adore Averie, and you are right, Brooke and Lucas are meant to be! Yeah, Brooke has said I love you…I had a flashback of her saying it for the first time in one of the chapters :) Thank you so much for your review, I loved it! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Dolcegrazia- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Hahaha, yeah, Nikki does need to go huh. I'm glad you liked the Brooke/Lucas PDA stuff mention…that's just so brucas! Thank you for reviewing, I love them! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)- **Hey hoe. Hahaha, yes! I'm so glad you noticed the 'pucasing' part! I seriously was like laughing my head off when I wrote that and I was like I'm not sure if anyone will notice but I know Sydney will! Hahaha. I'm glad you liked that. I think only like two or three other people mentioned it haha. Yeah, I guess I did get my 'mojo' back! Which is good! I even started another story…I didn't watch the season finale but I know what happened lol how stupid. Seriously. Haha. Your review was funny. I loved it! I'm excited for you that you are finally graduated…that is very exciting! Woohooo! Anyways, thanks for always reviewing, and no, you're the best!

**Chasitybsp- **I'm glad you liked all the Brooke/Lucas scenes, but I mean, of course you would!! I didn't watch the season finale, only because I'm like 5 episodes behind, but I know everything that happened, and what a stupid ending! You are right, they are totally just playing with our heads with the brucas scenes, and pucas is so over played! Like they are sick together! I hope he doesn't call peyton. I think it'll be Lindsey or Brooke. Just cuz he hasn't proposed to Brooke yet hahaha. And Lindsey cuz I think its like safer for him not to get turned down. But I guess we'll have to wait and see! Haha. Stupid waiting! Anyways, thanks for always reviewing, I looove them! And I hope you liked this chapter!

**Pink5288- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter, especially since it was longer! I hope you like this one too, thanks for reviewing!

**Othfan326- **Drama is right! I'm glad you loved the Brucas in the last chapter, I did too! I'm also glad you liked the Lucas/Nathan scene as well. Hahha, I'm glad you are reading this during school, its way more exciting I'm sure! Thanks for always reviewing, and I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Mea (carebearxo8)- **hahaha, modern day genius one tree hill writer, wow, that was like the best compliment ever haha. Thank you! And I agree, I would be a lot better writing for them just because it would be brucas. I'm so glad you loved the chapter. I'm glad you think I sound mature, that is a good thing considering I'm 20 haha. Anyways, I'm glad you are loving the Brucas scenes and I'm glad you are starting to like Haley now. Thank you for always reviewing, I love them! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Amy (brucas2008)- **I'm glad you are liking how the drama is beginning to unfold! And yes! I'm so excited you caught the 'pucasing' part because it was totally intentional hahaha. I thought it was pretty funny myself. Hahaha, yeah we need to dump mark. He's ruining Brucas' lives! I think Lucas called either Brooke or Lindsey…Brooke because he hasn't proposed to her yet and Lindsey because that's his safest bet. If its Peyton, I will seriously pucas. Anyways, thanks for always reviewing, I love them! I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Bella- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Hahaha, Haley walking in on Brucas is pretty classic huh! I love it! I agree with you, if Luke isn't with Brooke then I definitely don't want him with Peyton. I like Lindsey though, I think she's nice! Thanks for always reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Brucas3Naley23- **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! Yeah, I figured you were talking about OTH fanfics haha. Lucas does need to 'pop the question' and I've actually been thinking about it, so you guys will just have to wait and see ;) Thanks for reviewing! And I hope you liked this chapter!

**Chebelle- **Yeah…I pretty much laugh waaay too much! Yes! I am very excited to have so many reviews, its like unbelievable! Wow! Haha, I can't believe you didn't see Chae coming, that's awesome! I love surprising people! Haha. Getting kicked in the leg is so not good, I agree…but you might as well go a step further and give her like 25 paper cuts, cuz paper cuts are the worst thing ever! Haha. I'm so excited that you noticed the 'pucasing' part haha. I put that in there cuz I always say that when I'm like sick and so I had to put it in there! I was laughing when I wrote it so I'm glad you thought that part was funny! I'm glad you liked the Brooke/Lucas/Averie part getting ready, cuz it was like really simple, but still so cute! I love that you love Chae haha, she has turned into a big part of this story, its crazy cuz I wasn't even planning that, but it worked out! Hashanah you are funny, I love your rambling! I'm glad you like this story, and sleep is overrated! I always love your reviews, they totally make me laugh! I'm excited to see what you thought about this chapter..I hope you don't hate me hahaha. Thanks for always reviewing!

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- **I'm glad you noticed the 'pucasing' thing…I guess I wasn't too sneaky hahah. It was funny though. And yes, the game…that is so brucas! I'm glad you liked the Averie/Lucas part! And OMG You practically made out with Chad! That was like the funniest thing I have ever reaad, hahaha I love you! Thanks for always reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Reina123- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter and are still loving the story!! Thanks for always reviewing!

**Tanya (tanya2byour21)- **hahaha, Jake was pretty screwed huh. I agree, Chae and Jake are cute together! Haha, Haley does have bad timing, she always has! I'm glad you loved the last chapter and I hope you liked this one as well! Thanks for reviewing!

**Onetreefan- **haahaha, yeah, the ending of the last chapter was pretty bad! I'm glad you loved the chapter and love what is happening with all of the characters! Thanks for always reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter!!

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- **I'm glad you loved the last chapter! That totally makes me happy! Hhaha, yes, the Haley walking in on Brucas was totally one of my favorite parts! I'm glad you love all of the brucas scenes…who wouldn't?? hahah yeah, nikki shouldn't be around children…that's for sure! I'm a little surprised that Chae's arrival surprised you…but I'm glad it did! I thought no one would be surprised haha. Thank you so much for always leaving great reviews! I hope you like this chapter!

**Brucasisl0ve3- **I'm so glad that my update made your day! That is totally a good thing! Hahah, I'm glad you liked the beginning with Haley walking in on Brucas! I'm glad you like all of the Brucas family scenes…it makes me want a Brucas baby on the show too…hopefully someday. Okay, you kidnap Mark and I'll just show up…I'm sure no one will mind, everyone will be happy for a little Brucas action on the show! Hahaah. Nikki is gross, and yeah that was my intention hahaha. Thank you so much for reviewing, I loved it! I hope you like this chapter!

**Katherine- **Brooke really is the funniest one on the show! And I totally see what you are saying about her like balancing out all of the other characters. Brooke is just like the most realistic character…I swear no one is as crazy as peyton is in real life hahah. I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! I really did too, and it was just really refreshing to be excited again! You are so sweet to just like notice everything, I love it! Haha, I'm glad you liked the beginning Brucas scene, I had a feeling you would! And it is totally Brucas all the way too. And you are right, it never gets old. I'm glad you noticed how they were acting in the kitchen afterwards too..I loved that part and you are the only one that actually mentioned it haha. And yeah, Brooke and Chae did rub the 'Sassy' nickname off on him..I'm glad you noticed that. See, you seriously notice everything, I love it! I'm so glad you love Averie, I wish she was real haha. I love writing in all the Averie moments cuz I know you will notice them, but I think I've told you that before. Haahaha Tim is crazy. I miss him! Nikki does suck…she is such a weirdo! But I love the episode where Brooke invites her to the party…Nikki and Brooke make a funny pair when they aren't at each others throats hahaha. I hope you like this chapter, and thanks for always leaving such amazing reviews! You know I love to hear what you have to say, and I always look forward to your reviews! So thank you so much!

**Whiters- **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! Hahaha yeah, it does suck that poor Chae had to find out about Nikki! I'm glad you love reading about the cute Brucas moments! Thanks for reviewing, I love them! I hope you like this chapter!

**Brucas333- **hhahaha, nice little Nikki rant! I hope that made you feel better about her! I'm glad you loved the opening scene…I figured you would! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like the next chapter!

**AmbroCoo- **I'm glad you loved the last chapter! That makes me happy. I always love to get reviews from new readers, so thank you for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter as well, and thank you for loving this story!

**Christie (sweetchristie03)- **Yeah, I thought that would be a pretty good cliffhanger. Haha. I'm really not good at cliffhangers though! I hope you aren't too upset with how everything turns out though! Thanks for always reviewing, I love to hear what you think! I hope you like this chapter!

**Steph (Team Davis-Scott)- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Nikki is like the brunette version of peyton hahaha, that was good! Peyton totally should pull a Nikki and leave the show. I wouldn't mind at all. I'm glad you loved the beginning Brucas scene…I thought you would!! I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope you like this one as well! Thanks for always reviewing, I love them!

**Jem (flipflopgal)- **Haha, yeah its gonna be hard to wait 4 months to find out who Lucas called! How frustrating! I'm glad you loved the last chapter! Averie totally is the cutest thing, and Brucas are just amazing! Jake is dumb..Nikki is gross haha. I hope you like this chapter, thanks for always reviewing!

**Ellie- **I'm so glad you love the chapters! That makes me happy. Chae and Jake do neeed to reunite…and the finale…I hope he called brooke too. If he calls peyton I will die. I'm glad you love this story! Thanks for always reviewing, I love them!

**IamCaroline- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Haha, I loved the Haley walking in on Brucas part too! That's just so Haley…and so Brucas haha. Its true, Nikki shouldn't be allowed around children! I love Bevin and Tim too, I'm glad you enjoyed their little pop up! Haha. Thanks for always reviewing, I hope you like this chapter!

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23)- **BIF! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Of course you liked the Brucas part at the beginning hahaha. Who wouldn't like it though? I hope you like this chapter…I havent talked to you forever, but I'm sure I'll talk to you soon! I hope you like this chapter! Xoxox!

**IchliebeBrucas- **Nikki is not the best person ever is she! Those were good suggestions…Nikki would definitely be taken care of that way hahah. Brucas babies are the best, and you are right, Lucas wasn't really there the first time around..we'll have to see haha. I hope you liked this chapter, thanks for always reviewing!

**TutorGrrl- **Yeah, it was very sad for Chae in the last chapter! Stupid Nikki has to ruin everything! I'm glad you loved all of the brucas moments! They are cute aren't they! Thanks for reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Natalie (iluvmedou)- **oh yes…pucasing was totally intentional and I'm so glad you caught that. Hahaha. I was like laughing so hard when I wrote that in there cuz I always say it…but yeah, I was just waiting to see if anyone noticed, and I knew you would haha. So don't worry, your laughter wasn't for nothing! I'm so glad you thing the chapters are getting better…cuz that worries me! Its good to knw this story amazes you! I'm glad you loved the chapter…your review totally cracked me up! I understand…life is crazy and hectic, especially this time of year! OMG is right for the season finale..I havent watched it yet but I know what happened and I can't believe they ended it like that! Anyways, thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter!!


	35. The Way I Am

**A/N: Okay everyone, here is the new chapter as promised! I am fast-forwarding one year in this chapter…and I will be fast-forwarding more often now that we are getting close to the end. But don't worry, this story isn't over yet! If you have any questions about this chapter, if anything is confusing then feel free to PM me and I'll get back to you! Thank you to everyone who reviews, they are very appreciated! The song in this chapter is called 'The Wrong Girl' and is by Missy Higgins, she is becoming one of my favorites! Enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!**

_

* * *

_

Had my fingers around the back of your chair

_You'd never miss a thing but you missed me there _

_And I just kept thinking "Am I prepared _

_To pull it out from under your trusting stare?" _

**Chapter Thirty Five- The Way I Am**

It was amazing to Brooke how much harder it was to take care of a toddler than a baby. For starters, the whole walking thing…that was just trouble. Brooke and Lucas had bought numerous baby gates, just to try and control their busy daughter. It seemed that Averie's favorite thing to do was dumping things out. Whether it was baskets of toys, bowls full of food or her moms purse. It didn't really matter what it was as long as it was a mess when tipped upside down. But the odd thing was, once there were numerous toys on the ground, or the contents of Brooke's purse, Averie lost interest and wanted nothing to do with the treasures anymore. Also, the whole talking thing. At 23 months old, Averie was starting to be very vocal. She loved to scream 'NO' if only to get a shocked look out of her parents. But it didn't really matter. Brooke and Lucas knew their baby was perfect. And they did after all give her the nickname Sassy…she was bound to live up to it.

Brooke was in a great mood when she pulled up to her old apartment. She had just gotten out of a meeting and had been given great news. It seemed like the good news just kept flowing these days.

Lucas' book was published seven months ago, and to everyone's surprise it had been a big success. Everyone seemed to want to know about him after he had left basketball so suddenly, and the book was the first place to look. Lucas took a month off, going on a small book tour mainly to colleges. Brooke and Averie met up with him on the weekends, but the weeks were spent apart, and took a toll on them.

Two months after the major success of his book, he was offered a job. He put his journal broadcasting degree to work as one of three guys hosting a sports show. They covered all of the highlights of the daily games, working Monday through Thursday with a special weekend wrap-up on Sundays. Lucas had been on the show for three months now and loved his job, he was happy to be back in the sports world. The hours weren't too bad, and the younger crowd seemed to relate with him. He always had mornings off, and only had to be at the studio for a few hours everyday to film. His schedule worked well with Brookes, and one of them usually was able to be home with Averie.

Brooke smiled happily, riding in the familiar elevator. She had permanently moved into Lucas' house only a month after coming home from Tree Hill. Living together for almost a year now had challenged her and Lucas' relationship drastically. They had their arguments and their good times, but all in all they had only grown stronger.

When the elevator dinged, she hurried out, making her way down the carpeted hallway as quickly as her 6 inch heels would carry her. She didn't bother knocking on the door, instead opening it with the key she had kept.

"Hello?" She called, poking her head into the door and laughing when she heard a loud squeal…that was definitely her daughter.

Brooke walked into the apartment and around the corner into the living room. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw Averie wearing a huge pair of brown men's dress shoes. She had on a tiny denim skirt with striped tights and a pink sweater. Her straight brown hair was in two pig-tails and she tried to walk to her mom, finding it hard to pick her feet up in the huge shoes.

"Momma!" Averie giggled, waving her arms around. The sudden arm movement caught her off balance and she fell down, one of the shoes flying forward as she landed on her pockets. She scrunched up her tiny face, "Uht-oh" she laughed, "Ouch!"

"Hey Ave" Brooke laughed, walking towards her daughter and picking her up, the other brown shoe falling to the ground. "Did you have fun with Chae?"

Averie nodded, her pig-tails bouncing, "Yike Jay shoes!"

"I like them too" Brooke smiled, tickling Averie's sides, "But they are too big for you Sassy! You are such a silly girl" Brooke said, smiling as Averie erupted into giggles.

"Hey, you're here" Chae smiled, tucking her hair behind her ears as she came into the living room. "I was just gonna get crazy over there some lunch. How did the meeting go?"

"It went really good" Brooke grinned, setting Averie back on the ground when she started to wiggle. She smiled as she watched her daughter walk to the couch, picking up a baby doll and tucking it under her arm. "I think we are going to go surprise Luke…I can't wait to tell him." Brooke grinned, looking back up at Chae.

"So they said yes?" Chae asked, sitting down on the ground and throwing large plastic lego's into a basket. Brooke grinned and nodded, her eyes lighting up. "Do they know where yet?"

"No" Brooke sighed, "They are going to talk about it this weekend and call Monday or Tuesday with all the details."

Chae nodded, "That's exciting."

Averie walked over to Chae, throwing the baby doll in her lap, "Sae…Baby ba-ba go?" She asked, lifting her arms up and narrowing her eyes.

"Where did baby's bottle go…maybe its in your purse" Chae told Averie, pointing to the small pink bag Averie had insisted on bringing over today. Averie walked over to the couch, dumping everything out of the tiny purse and smiling when she held up a small plastic bottle. "Luke is going to freak when you tell him." Chae smiled, looking back up at Brooke.

"I hope in a good way" Brooke groaned, biting on her lip. She watched as Averie threw every single pillow off of the couch. "Was she good today? Thanks for watching her…"

"It was no problem. She was fine, we had a close call with lipstick though" Chae laughed.

"I swear I'm gonna have to put a lock on my make up drawer" Brooke sighed, "She has a sudden fascination for it…" Brooke started to walk around the room, picking up all of the toys her daughter had thrown around. "Where's Jake?"

Averie looked up, "Jay bye-bye" She told her mom before turning her attention back to the tiny white shoes she was trying to put on.

"He went to work, they just signed a new artist and it seems to be going well" Chae shrugged, standing from the floor.

Brooke always knew Chae and Jake were perfect for each other, it just took them longer to figure it out. Not even three weeks after Chae left Tree Hill, Jake showed up in New York and the rest was history. Soon after that he got a job as a producer at a big name record label and moved into Chae's apartment. They had seemed to be doing great ever since, both learning from the mistakes they had made the first time around. Chae didn't hold back this time, and let Jake into her life fully. It wasn't easy at first, but they soon fell into a comfortable rhythm.

"That's good" Brooke smiled, "Tell him I said hi." Brooke walked over to Averie but when she tried to help the little girl put her shoes on Averie started to kick her legs and scream.

"Mine!" Averie cried, pulling her feet away from Brooke.

Brooke held her arms up, "Can Mommy help you? We gotta get your shoes on so we can go see Daddy" Brooke said, smiling at the little girl so she would hopefully change her mind about putting the shoes on herself.

"God that kid is stubborn" Chae laughed, "Seriously, she is like Mini-Brooke all the way. Why couldn't she have gotten Lucas' relaxed, broody attitude."

"Oh, she did" Brooke said, rolling her eyes. "I swear, sometimes she can be so quiet it freaks us out. Give her a book and she like zones out on you." Averie had finally given in, and was now letting Brooke put her shoes on. Brooke stood up, reaching for Averie's hand to help her up as well. "We better get going. Say bye to aunt Chae" Brooke told Averie, "Thanks for watching her."

"Bye-bye Sae" Averie waved, her other hand holding onto Brooke's tightly.

"Bye Sassy" Chae grinned, crouching down to kiss Averie's forehead. Chae helped Brooke gather up all of Averie's things and closed the door behind them as they left.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke pulled her brand new hybrid into the parking lot of the TV studio Lucas worked in. She swung her designer purse over her shoulder and then got a babbling Averie out of her car seat. She rested Averie on one hip and made her way into the building.

"Hello Brooke, Averie" the security guard said as they entered the building. "You going up to see Lucas? I think they are almost done filming."

"Yeah, we'll just wait backstage" Brooke smiled, thanking the man when he buzzed a door open, allowing Brooke entrance into the back of the studio. "Shh" she told Averie as they walked backstage, just in time to see Lucas finish up filming.

"Shh, daddy" Averie whispered, pointing to where her dad was sitting.

They waited until Lucas was done, and Averie went crazy when he walked off stage and spotted her.

"Hey" He smiled, reaching his arms out for Averie, "I wasn't expecting you two" He said, kissing Averie and then pulling Brooke into a hug.

"We wanted to surprise you" Brooke grinned, her fingers linking through one of Lucas' belt loops.

"How did the meeting go today?" Lucas asked, walking with Brooke and Averie to the dressing room in the back where he kept his stuff. He shared it with the two other guys on his show, but it was empty and quiet for now. He set Averie down and she immediately walked over to the coffee table, picking one of her books up off of it and sitting on the ground to look at it.

"It went really good" Brooke grinned, sitting down on the couch and waiting for Lucas to change his shirt.

"How good?" Lucas asked, smirking at Brooke as he sat down next to her. He smiled as her eyes lit up and she bit on her lip in attempt to hold in a smile.

"Well, we decided that its perfect timing to open a store!" Brooke squealed, causing Averie to look up from the book she was staring at.

"Babe, that's great!" Lucas smiled, pulling her into a hug. He knew she had been looking forward to this moment forever, and he couldn't be happier that it was finally hers. "I knew you could do it. Do they know where they are going to open it?"

"We aren't sure yet, they are checking out a few options right now, we just want to do this right" Brooke told him. "It'll be perfect, we're hoping to open it in time for my summer line."

"It sounds like good timing, was Trish excited?"

"Oh yeah, she was totally stoked" Brooke grinned, "She's been so great, looking out for me through all of this…"

"I'm sure she's really proud of you" Lucas smiled, pulling Brooke closer to him, "I know I am."

Brooke smiled, biting on her lip before sitting up and leaning towards Lucas. She felt his arm tighten around her back when he kissed her, and his lips against hers made her head spin.

"Daddy, book" Averie said, pulling on his leg and smiling when he pulled away from her mom. She held the book out to him, and after he took it she lifted her arms up.

"Just one book," Lucas told her as he lifted the little girl into his arms. "Then we gotta go get Mommy some ice cream to celebrate her very first store" he said, smiling over at Brooke who grinned back.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"_I can't believe you are actually opening a store" Haley squealed over the phone, "We'll definitely have to come up there for the opening."_

"Yeah, you will totally have too…if I have things my way it'll be a huge party" Brooke cheered into the phone.

"_Of course it will" Haley laughed, "How is everything? I miss you ya know."_

"I miss you too Hale's…everything has just been crazy busy as usual. How are things there?" Brooke asked, frowning just at the thought of not being in Tree Hill with her best friends. She loved her life in New York, but she missed Tree Hill.

"_We're good here" Haley smiled, Brooke heard Max start to scream and Haley groaned, "Hey, I'll call you back…the little monster is stuck on the kitchen table…"_

Brooke laughed, "Good luck. Talk to ya later Haley."

Brooke flipped her phone shut and walked into the kitchen, stopping in the doorway. Averie was sitting on the counter, still wearing her yellow pajamas. She sat up on her knees, looking into the mixing bowl that was sitting next to her on the counter. Lucas was standing next to her, digging around in a drawer.

"Here Ave" Lucas said, closing the drawer and handing Averie a big spoon. "You wanna help make breakfast?" She grabbed the spoon, immediately sticking it into the bowl and doing her best to stir. Lucas had a spoon as well and was doing most of the work.

Brooke walked further into the kitchen, she sat down on a barstool across from where Lucas and Averie were mixing.

"Way to put the kid to work" Brooke laughed, Averie looked up, laughing too just because her mom was.

"Hey, she likes it" Lucas said in his defense, he lifted the large mixing bowl, taking Averie's spoon from her. "Alright, come here" He said, lifting Averie in one of his arms and walking over to the hot waffle iron. Averie smiled and pointed as she watched Lucas pour the waffle batter in and close the lid.

Since Lucas and Brooke started living together they started a 'waffle Sunday' tradition. As Averie got older she had fun helping make breakfast, and it was a good opportunity to spend time together. Brooke and Lucas always looked forward to Sundays when they were guaranteed breakfast together, and they hoped Averie would always look forward to the tradition as well.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

After breakfast Lucas started to get ready for work. He had to do his Sunday show that was an hour long instead of a half hour long. Brooke and Averie stayed in the bedroom with him to keep him company while he got ready for the day.

"What are you two going to do today?" Lucas asked, sitting down by Brooke on the bed to put his shoes on.

Brooke looked over at Averie and winked making the little girl giggle, "We have some ideas."

"Brooke, I know that tone of voice…what are you planning?" Lucas asked skeptically. He looked over to see Brooke's eyes averted while she tried to hold in her smile.

She finally looked back over at him once she had calmed herself down. "Luke, I'm not planning anything" she told him with a straight face.

"Ave, you keep an eye on your mommy today" Lucas said, looking over at Averie who was busy with a wooden matching puzzle.

Averie looked up at him, squinting her eyes just like he does, "Why?"

"Because," Lucas said, tapping his finger against Averie's tiny nose, "She is up to something."

"I am not!" Brooke squealed, folding her arms across her chest.

"Mommy's not, okay daddy?" Averie told Lucas, nodding her head while she pointed her little finger at him.

"I think you've brainwashed my daughter" Lucas sighed as Brooke smiled proudly. He stood from the couch, "I better get going, but I'll be home in a few hours…stay out of trouble" he warned.

Brooke stood up as well, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Babe, you go have fun at work and don't worry about us" Brooke smiled, biting on her bottom lip. "We're just gonna stay home, I need to work on some sketches."

Lucas narrowed his eyes at her, "Okay, if you say so" he finally gave in, leaning down and kissing Brooke. When he pulled away from Brooke he opened his arms to Averie, "Daddy's gonna go to work, I'll see you in a few hours" he said, lifting her into his arms.

"Yove you Daddy" Averie told him, hugging his neck tightly.

"Love you girls too" he smiled, kissing Averie and then setting her back on the bed. Brooke waved, smiling widely at him as he left the bedroom.

Brooke waited until she heard the garage door shut before she turned to Averie. "Alright partner in crime…lets go get your coat, we have places to go and people to see!"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Mommy" Averie called from the backseat, her tiny pink sunglasses covering her bright blue eyes. "Go see Daddy?"

"No, we are going somewhere way more fun" Brooke grinned, she pulled into a parking lot and got out of the car quickly. She opened the back door, unbuckling Averie from her car seat. "Will you leave your blanky in the car? We don't want it to get yucky."

"Banky mine!" Averie said, holding the pink blanket against her tightly.

"Ave, we gotta go get a surprise and I don't want you to take your blanky in there" Brooke told her, trying to tug the pink blanket out of the little girls arms.

Averie thought about it for a minute, finally dropping the blanket on the seat. Brooke lifted her out of the car and held on to her hand tightly as they walked into the small store. Averie immediately found a fish tank and climbed up on a stool to see what was swimming inside.

She pressed both of her hands against the glass tank and turned around to look at her mom. "Momma?" She said, taking Brooke's attention away from the salesman she was talking to.

"Yeah baby?" Brooke asked, turning to look at Averie.

"Fis talk?" Averie asked, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the fish, tapping on the glass.

Brooke laughed, leaning down to look in the fish tank with her daughter, "No sweetie, fish don't talk. Come here, lets go look at puppies!" Averie grinned widely and Brooke lifted her up into her arms.

They walked towards the back of the store and the salesman showed them the different dogs that they had. Averie got excited looking at all the little puppies and couldn't help but tap on the glass that they were encaged in.

"Yike it Mommy" Averie smiled, squatting down to watch two tiny puppies play.

"Me too" Brooke agreed, crouching down to look at the yorkie puppies Averie was looking at. "I think daddy will like them too."

After holding and playing with numerous puppies, Brooke decided to get a tiny, calm, brown and black yorkie puppy. Averie was excited, and even sat down to hold the little dog.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Alright Sassy, lets get Laela's stuff all set up before daddy gets home okay?" Brooke told Averie who was sitting on the ground staring through the door of the small dog carrier.

"Gotsa bed" Averie told Brooke, standing up and using both of her hands to pull the small dog bed.

"Okay, bring it in here" Brooke told her, picking the dog carrier up as well as the bag of supplies they had bought.

They took all of the dogs things into the guest bedroom. Brooke and Averie had went a little crazy at the pet store, buying lots of dog treats and toys for a puppy that just liked to sleep. Brooke pulled out two small bowls, setting them both on the ground.

"Out Momma" Averie begged, trying to unhook the latch that was holding the puppy hostage in the carrier.

"Okay, you hold Laela while I get her some food" Brooke told Averie, pulling the tiny dog out and setting in on Averie's waiting lap. Brooke poured dog food into one of the bowls and then stood up with the empty bowl. "I'm gonna go get lazy over there a drink, you watch her okay?"

Averie nodded, entertained with petting the soft dog. Brooke walked into the bathroom, filling up the small bowl with water. She had always loved animals, dogs especially and wanted Averie to grow up with them. She was so excited that they had finally gotten a dog, she just hoped Lucas would be okay with it too. Averie loved it though and that's all that really mattered.

Brooke walked back into the bedroom and was faced with Averie's back and the small dog sleeping in the small plush dog bed. "Ave, what are you doing?" Brooke asked, Averie looked up, a handful of dog food in her hand. "Oh my god, you didn't eat that did you?"

Averie furrowed her eyebrows, dropping the dog food back into the bowl, mad that her mom had caught her, "Yaeya yikes it" She pouted.

"Averie! That is just for doggies, little girls don't eat puppy food!" Brooke said firmly, setting the bowl of water down. "That was a close call" Brooke sighed. "Come on, lets go get you some lunch and let Laela sleep." Brooke told Averie, standing from the ground and picking the little girl up.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke sat on the couch, watching as Averie played with Laela on the floor. The puppy was starting to get more active, and Averie thought it was funny to pull on the puppy's soft ears and make the dog run away.

"_You can't just go buy a dog without asking Lucas" Haley laughed into the phone, "I wish I could see his face when he comes home…"_

"Haley. It's not a big deal! The dog is so cute and Averie loves her!" Brooke said excitedly into the phone, not getting what the big deal was. It was a dog, its not like she made a serious decision without him. Brooke laughed, watching as Averie stood up and chased the small dog in circles.

"_I still don't get why you are buying dogs when you could be having another baby…"_

"Because Haley, I think I have my hands full with Ave…and I have a trusty little friend called _birth control_…you should really try it" Brooke said with a raised eyebrow. Ever since Haley had become pregnant again, she was driving Brooke crazy about it. But Brooke just wasn't ready for another kid…plain and simple.

"_Averie is almost two now, if she's having so much fun with a puppy, don't you think she'd have even more fun with a brother or sister?"_

Brooke shrugged, "We just aren't ready Hale's. We have too much going on right now…I can't open another store and take care of a newborn."

"_I guess" Haley sighed, "It would just be so much fun for our kids to be the same ages."_

"Ave and Max are, they'll always have each other. Plus, I don't think Averie would want to share me and Luke with a baby anyways." Brooke laughed, knowing that it really probably was the truth. Brooke heard the garage door open.

"Daddy!" Averie yelled, running towards the door in the kitchen that led to the garage. The small yapping puppy followed her.

"Hey, Luke is home…I'll call you later" Brooke sighed, all the sudden becoming nervous.

_Haley laughed, "This should be good…"_

"Whatever! I'll talk to you later, bye Hale's" Brooke hung up the phone, throwing it on the couch and hurrying into the kitchen. She scooped up the dog, "Shh" she told Averie, pointing to the puppy before running to the guest room and shutting the dog inside. On her way back into the kitchen she heard Lucas open the door.

"There's my girl" Lucas smiled, picking up Averie and throwing her up in the air. "Did you have fun today?" He asked, hugging Averie as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck.

"Pyay with Yaeya!" Averie grinned, running a hand over Lucas' very short hair.

"Right" Lucas said with a raised eyebrow, not having a clue what his daughter was talking about. He smiled when Brooke walked into the room.

"Did you have a good day at work?" Brooke asked, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Yeah, it was fine" Lucas told her, eyeing her skeptically. "How was your day? Get any sketches done?" He asked, waiting to find out the real story of what they did while he was at work.

"Uh, yeah…very productive day" she smiled.

"Daddy" Averie said, putting both of her hands on his cheeks and moving his head until he was facing her again, "Fis not talk" she told him, a concerned look on her face.

"No they don't" Lucas said, his eyes wandering back over to Brooke.

"I gotta go call Haley back" She said with a nervous nod, turning quickly and leaving the room.

Lucas set Averie on the ground and followed Brooke into the living room. He watched as Averie ran after him, but went down the hallway to her bedroom. "Oh no you don't" He said, grabbing Brooke's phone out of her hands and holding onto her wrists.

"Geez Luke" Brooke smiled, "I missed you too…But you really should stop with the kinky foreplay until Ave is sleeping" She said, tipping her head to the side.

"You have been acting weird all day-"

"Daddy! Yaeya yikes me!" Averie grinned, standing in the entryway of the living room and holding onto the small dog.

Lucas turned to see Averie, and then looked back at Brooke who was smiling nervously.

"Who's dog is that?" Lucas asked Brooke, pointing at the dog in his daughters arms.

"Mine!" Averie laughed, setting Laela on the ground and clapping as the puppy ran around her in circles.

"Ave really wanted a puppy, and I couldn't say no to those _eyes_" Brooke frowned, shrugging her shoulders. "Isn't she cute though? We named her Laela!"

Lucas inhaled deeply, bringing a hand up to his forehead, "You _bought _a _dog_."

"Well, yeah" Brooke said, using her 'duh' voice as she scrunched her eyebrows at Lucas.

"Brooke, do you realize that puppies are a lot of work…I mean, for starters its not potty trained and unlike Averie, we can't put a diaper on it!" Lucas said through gritted teeth, trying not to get angry.

"Come on Luke" Brooke smiled softly, bringing a hand up to his chest. "It'll be fine, and look, Ave loves her…"

They both looked over at their little girl who was giggling like crazy as she chased the tiny dog around.

Lucas groaned, "I don't know what I'm gonna do with you Brooke Davis…"

Brooke smiled widely, "You know you love me" She sang playfully.

"No more dogs okay?" He warned. He didn't know what it was, but even when he had his mind so set up about something, Brooke always managed to change it.

"So we can keep her?" Brooke asked, smiling as she bit her bottom lip. Lucas nodded slowly and Brooke turned to Averie giving her a thumbs up, "Daddy likes Laela too!"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

On Monday morning Brooke was woken up by the doorbell ringing. Averie usually woke them up, now that she figured out how to crawl out of her crib, so this was unusual. Brooke rubbed her eyes, looking over at Lucas who was still asleep, his arm draped across her.

"Luke," She said sleepily, pushing on his bare chest, "Luke, someone's at the door."

Lucas groaned, his grip tightening on Brooke, while keeping his eyes tightly shut.

Brooke cursed inwardly when the doorbell rang again, she pushed Lucas' arm off of her and climbed out of bed. She pulled a shirt on, and Lucas' pajama pants just because they were the only thing she could find on the floor. Things had gotten a little crazy the night before, and she had no idea where Lucas had thrown her pajamas.

She ran a hand through her hair as she made her way to the door. She looked through the peephole, sighing when she opened the door. "You know its like 7 in the morning right?" She groaned sleepily.

"Good morning to you too" Jake laughed, "We were in the neighborhood and neither of us work today, so we were wondering if we could steal Ave for the day?"

Brooke stepped aside, "She's still asleep, but come in."

Jake walked in the house, followed by Chae who was snickering, "Nice pants" she said, shoving Brooke's arm. Brooke stuck her tongue out at Chae, closing the door and following them into the house.

"I'm gonna go see if she's awake" Jake announced, leaving the living room.

"He's in a good mood today" Brooke yawned, walking into the kitchen and turning on the coffee maker.

"Yeah, I think he's excited he doesn't have to be in the recording studio with that new artist today" Chae shrugged, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Look who's awake" Jake announced, walking into the kitchen with Averie laying her head against his shoulder.

"Did you wake her up?" Brooke asked, laughing when Jake looked guilty.

"Mommy" Averie smiled, her binky still in her mouth while her long brown hair stuck out in all different directions.

"I just wanted to see her" He shrugged, sitting down at the table with Averie on his lap. "Have you guys taken her to that new aquarium yet?"

"We went there like a month ago, she loved it" Brooke smiled, getting a sippy cup out of the cupboard and filling it with milk. "She loves animals right now" Brooke told them, handing Averie the cup.

"We were thinking about taking her today, its still a little too cold for the zoo" Chae explained, tickling the bottom of Averie's feet and making the little girl squirm. "You don't mind do you?"

"Not at all, I'm sure she'd love it" Brooke smiled, "I have a ton of sketches due and Lucas has to work, so it would actually be pretty great."

"Where is Lucas?" Jake asked. The two guys had become great friends over the last few months. They both loved sports, and were together all the time because Brooke and Chae were inseparable. Whenever Lucas got free tickets to any sporting event, he always took Jake with him.

"Sleeping, like I should be" Brooke laughed.

"Go back to sleep" Chae said with a wave of her hand, "We'll take Sassy out to breakfast and call you later."

"Are you sure?" Brooke asked wearily, feeling guilty. Chae raised her eyebrows, nodding slowly. "Okay, let me go get her ready" Brooke said, taking Averie from Jake.

Not even ten minutes later Brooke was crawling back into bed with Lucas, looking forward to the morning alone. She ran her fingers down his bare arms, laying on her pillow and trying to get comfortable. She closed her eyes, molding herself against Lucas. She was determined to sleep in today, she didn't get the chance to very often. She closed her eyes tightly, but couldn't fall asleep. She sat up in bed, trying decide if she should wake Lucas up to entertain her or not. But he just looked way too peaceful laying there. Finally, she just decided to climb out of bed and take a shower.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke was sitting at the kitchen table, her wet hair in a towel. She was reading the newest Us Weekly as she drank her coffee, marking any page that had anything to do with Clothes over Bro's. When her cell phone rang she looked at the screen, smiling when she saw that it was Trish.

"Hey, how are you this morning?" Brooke asked, her voice cheery as she answered the phone.

"_I'm doing good, sorry to call so early" Trish said, her voice sounding nervous but excited at the same time._

"It's only 8" Brooke said with a laugh, ever since Averie was born she was lucky if she was still sleeping at this time. "So what's going on? I promise I'll have those sketches to you by Wednesday."

"_I know you will" Trish said with a smile, "I was actually calling to give you some news…"_

"Good news I hope?" Brooke said with a laugh, "Is it about the store?"

"_Yeah," Trish said with a sigh. "I just got a phone call from the exec's…I was so surprised that they had come to a decision so fast, it only took them four days."_

"Okay, stop with the whole monologue thing," Brooke said with a small laugh, "What did they say?"

"_They are liking the idea of you opening the store, but you already knew that. They were looking into a few New York locations, and they also looked into a new development in North Carolina."_

"Why were they looking in North Carolina? I live here" Brooke said, scrunching up her eyebrows in confusion.

"_Well, you mentioned that you were from Tree Hill, and that if you weren't living here in New York that's where you'd want to be. This weekend they went down there and looked into it and they thought that Tree Hill would actually be a good place to open your first store" Trish said, hoping that Brooke took the news in a good way._

"But I don't live in Tree Hill, I thought we were going to open the store here?"

"_New York is just really competitive right now, and they think it might be best to work your way up. Your line has already come a long way, and they think a store would do good in Tree Hill. I guess its growing a lot there, and it is your hometown which makes it even more exciting for your first store opening" Trish explained._

"Wow" Brooke sighed, totally caught off guard. She would have never even thought about opening a store in Tree Hill.

"_I know it's a lot to take in right now, so you should take a few days to think about it. You don't have to come up with a decision right away, but they are hoping to open the store in two months, which is pretty soon. So discuss it with Lucas, because we are obviously going to need you there…"_

"I love the idea of living in Tree Hill again, I just don't know what Lucas will think about that" Brooke groaned into the phone. "I'll figure it out and call you."

"_Okay, that's fine. This is big Brooke, I knew you'd be here one day" Trish smiled. "I'll talk to you soon."_

"Okay, thanks Trish" Brooke smiled into the phone, "Bye."

Brooke set her phone down on the table and just stared at her magazine blankly. She had no idea what to do or think. She loved the idea of being back in Tree Hill, she didn't like raising Averie in such a busy city, and Tree Hill was the perfect place to raise a family. But Lucas had signed a contract with his job for two years, and there was a lot of legal problems that held him in that contract. She had been dreaming of opening her own store for years, and it was finally here. How could she say no to that? But if she agreed to it, what would happen with her and Lucas? And what about Averie? If she moved to Tree Hill, what if Lucas couldn't get out of his contract and had to stay in New York? What would it do to their relationship, and how would Averie handle it? It was just way too much to handle, and Brooke was totally lost.

"Hey," Lucas said sleepily, walking into the kitchen and rubbing his eyes. He got himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table next to Brooke. When she hadn't said anything he looked up at her, noticing how pale her face looked. He reached his hand out, placing it on her arm, "Are you okay?" He asked, his voice filling with concern.

Brooke looked up at him, her mouth dropping open but no words came out. She had to tell him, but the more he looked at her with that concerned and loving face, the more the words got stuck in her throat.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Dun, Dun, Dun! Hahaha, how did you guys like that chapter? I hope it wasn't too crazy! If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I didn't really get a chance to read through it once more before posting, so I hope there weren't too many mistakes! If there were, I'm sorry! I'm going to try and update either Sunday or Monday so be watching for it!

**THANK YOUS!**

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter, even though the Jake/Chae part was sad. Hahaha, but I'm glad that you liked Luke bitching out Victoria…that is something to get excited about for sure! It is good that Brooke has someone to stand up for her and love her…you are right! I hope you like this chapter! And way to go being the very first to review!! Thanks for always reviewing!

**Whiters- **hahaha bold move….that's right. I'm glad that you liked Victoria making an appearance! Brucas being perfect is a good thing, but it is kinda a scary thing too haha. I'm glad you liked Lucas defending Brooke, and the Jake/Chae part was sad! But I'm glad you liked the chapter anyways! Thanks for always reviewing, and I hope you like this one!

**Dolcegrazia- **haahaha, I'm glad you love Averie so much! I do too! I'm glad you liked the Victoria visit, and I'm also glad you found it believable! Thanks for always reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas3Naley23- **Sad for Chae, but I'm glad you are happy for Brucas. Haha, I'm glad you were shocked by Victoria popping up! Hahaha Jake and Nikki is such a joke right. Thanks for reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Onetreefan- **I'm glad I'm keeping you interested with this story! Thank you so much for the very kind review! It's good to know that you are still enjoying the story and all of the little twists and turns. Brucas do balance each other out perfectly, hence why they belong together! Lucas needs his Cheery to balance out his Broody or he's just annoying haha. Wow, your epiphany is pretty amazing…I guess you'll just have to wait and see though cuz I'm definitely not giving anything away! But hmmm. Good thoughts. Thanks for always reviewing though and I hope you like this chapter!

**Reina123- **I'm glad you liked the chapter and liked that Victoria came in! Especially since you had been wondering, it was a good time to add it! Thanks for always reading and reviewing, you are awesome. I hope you liked this chapter!

**IchliebeBrucas- **haha, French toast sounds good, I suck at making it though. Chae should hire someone, that is good. Brucas and Ave are so cute, I'm so glad you love them! I'm glad this is one of your favorite stories! I was actually wondering about your name so I'm glad you explained it…that really is pretty awesome, I must say. I never woulda guessed! Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter and thanks for reviewing!

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- **hahaha Hicksville…sounds like a blast. It sounds like your weekend was very entertaining! Hahaha I'm glad you are happy Victoria didn't try to kill Brooke, that was like one of the funniest things I've read in a review haahaha. Like you are genuinely glad her mom didn't kill her. that's funny. And calling her the queen mean…you are just too good Cass. I love soapnet…I wish we had that channel! Thanks for the always entertaining reviews, I love them! I hope you like this chapter!

**Othfan326- **Wow, your review was extra long, I loved it! I guess I just love your reviews in general! I'm glad you found the scene outside the bathroom door funny, cuz I wanted it to be funny haha. I'm glad you like how Chae and Jake parted with closure. I'm so glad you like Nathan's care free attitude. I'm so happy that you actually noticed that. That's awesome, and good to hear! I'm glad you liked the Brucas! They are just awesome. We're getting towards the end of the story, so you'll see what happens haha. I'm glad you were happy to see Victoria in this chapter, I thought it was about time she make an appearance. I'm glad you thought her scenes were well done, cuz I was kind of apprehensive about writing her. I'm glad you liked the cute Brucas ending! I loved your review! Keep them coming haha. I love hearing what you have to say! I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Bella- **hahaha yeah, Brooke's mom is totally not the favorite is she! She really doesn't know how to act with her daughter, its sad but true. Thank you for always reviewing, I love to hear what you have to say! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Amy (brucas2008)- **I'm glad you loved the last chapter! Sad for chake huh. But its okay. Yeah, her new story is good! I read the first chapter before she posted it but I havent had a chance to catch up on her recent chapters…but yeah, that story is good! Yeah, I do like gossip girl! Its fun, I pretty much just watched it cuz I like the movies that they are in! anyways, thanks for always reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Christie (sweetchristie03)- **I'm glad you liked the chapter and that you are looking forward to the time jump. I'm glad you are liking all of the Brucas, and you are right, how could you not love it! Haahaha I laughed so hard when you said that hopefully Jake liking Nikki is just nausea haha. That was seriously a good one, high five! Thank you for always reviewing, I love reading them! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brillant brunette- **I'm sorry the last chapter disappointed you with the whole Jake/chae thing…but I hope you liked this chapter! I'm glad you though Luke and Brooke were cute! Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope to hear from you again!

**Tanya (tanya2byour21)- **Yeah, Jake did suck in the last chapter! Brooke should've just locked them in a room..that is a good idea! I'm glad you liked Lucas standing up to Brooke's mom! I hope you liked this chapter, thanks for reviewing, I'm excited to see what you think about this one!

**Lydia (TutorGrrl)- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! It was pretty sad for Chae, haha, I want to bitch slap Nikki too. Who doesn't? I'm glad you are liking the cute Brucas moments and I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

**Jem (flipflopgal)- **haha, Chae and Jake are too stubborn, I agree. I'm glad you loved the Brucas/Averie parts, and she is just too cute huh! Thank you for always reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter! I'm excited to hear what you think about it!

**Katherine- **hahaha I love your rants. They totally entertain me, its fun. Probably just cuz I like to rant too. Obviously! I'm glad you read the chapter titles, haha, you are the only one that like ever really mentions them…sorry I worried you ha-ha, but at least it wasn't brucas! And of course the new story is Brucas, duh! What else would it be….speaking of….I emailed you the first chapter…I hope you don't mind. I'm just not sure about it or if I should continue it..so if you have a chance you should look at it and that would be amazing! Don't worry, this story still has some stuff left, its just weird cuz now I can see the end in sight and before I couldn't! So I don't know, its sad to think its almost over because I seriously have loved this story so much, I think I even loved it more than 'These Days' which is pretty surprising! I hope you like the time jump…I'm excited to see what you have to say. I'm so glad you loved the chapter…you always leave the best reviews haha. I'm glad that you liked that the Chae/Jake wasn't too overbearing. I didn't want to focus the whole chapter on them because the story isn't like totally about them ya know. But you understand that. So I'm glad you liked it! Chae and Jake was sad…I totally agree. I'm glad you loved all of the averie moments….I swear I always think of you when I write them cuz I know you will love them! Oh man, I can't make grilled cheese either! It seriously is so hard! Everyone always makes fun of me for it…but they really are hard! I'm glad you can't make them either haha. Victoria! I'm glad that surprised you haha. And yeah, she is pretty crazy! She has like two personalities haha. I'm glad you liked lucas being protective of brooke to victoria…that's hott! Haha. I'm glad you liked the ending, and yeah Lucas and Brooke are almost to that point aren't they..maybe its even way too overdue. But you'll just have to wait and see haha. Wow so this is so long! Thanks for the long amazing review, you know I love them! I can't wait to hear what you have to say about this chapter! You are awesome!

**Steph (Team Davis-Scott)- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter…haha, I figured you wouldn't be too happy about the Chae and Jake thing though! But I'm glad you liked Victoria's little pop-up appearance. She does have a soft spot even though she is a major bitch haha. I'm glad you liked the Nikki/Brooke parts, they are funny together. I'm jealous you can make grilled cheese, I seriously SUCK at it! Like I just cant do it. I wish I could though cuz its like my favorite food haha. I hope you like this chapter! Thanks for always reviewing, I love hearing what you have to say!

**Natalie (iluvmedou)- **Hahaa, I figured you'd be at least a little unhappy with me! Awesome and funky. I like that. I'm glad you loved the Victoria part and Lucas sticking up for Brooke! I'm glad you are liking all the Brucas/Naley moments! I figured you would though. Hahaha, you are so right, Max and Ave are like the Haley and Lucas. I didn't even look at it that way. I'm glad that while writing the review you got less upset about Chae and Jake ahhaa. But I'm glad you think the whole thing with them was realistic, that is soooo good to hear! I'm glad you liked the song too! I love them! I love your reviews and hearing what you have to say about the chapters! I hope you liked this one!

**Chasitybsp- **I'm so glad you loved the chapter! Haha, I'm glad you are happy as long as Brucas are good. That is totally good to know. Hopefully I can keep you happy….haha. Thanks for always reading and reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23)- **Hey bif! I'm glad you liked the chapter! I'm glad you liked the first chapter of the other story too…I'm trying to decide if I actually want to continue with it or not. I'm glad you are excited for the time jump…I made it longer than I told you it waas gonna be haha. I'm so indecisive! Anyways, I hope to talk to you soon! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Chebelle- **haha drama is right! Hahaha yeah, their little makeout session was pretty intense wasn't it! Jake waas pretty stupid. I must agree. You are funny. I'm glad you thought the whole chapter was cute, and I'm glad you still liked it besides the whole Chae/Jake thing. I'm glad you loved all of the Luke/Brooke/Ave moments, they are the best! I'm glad you were totally surprised by Victoria, and you are right, she deserves paper cuts! Haahaha I bet you are right, that little girl could melt ice bergs. That was cute. Brooke does deserve victoria to treat her like a person. I'm glad you like seeing Lucas so protective over Brooke..its so hott! Hahah, you don't even have the energy to be funny, for being so sleepy you left a really good review! I'm glad you are liking all of the twists and turns, and I agree it keeps everything more interesting. A pucasy sleep would be a horrible sleep, I think I'd rather not sleep if that was my only option haha. You are funny. I love your reviews, so thank you a ton! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas333- **I'm glad you loved the last chapter! Haha, you were liking Victoria and then she turned back into her psycho self! And don't worry, this story isn't over yeeett…we still have some bumps and turns! Haha. Thanks for reviewing, I love reading what you have to say. I hope you liked this chapter!

**IamCaroline- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Jake did make a crazy move didn't he! I'm glad I surprised you with Victoria popping up, and she is pretty psycho as usual haha. I'm glad you are still loving Brucas and I'm glad you are happy about the time jump! Thanks for always reading and reviewing, I always look forward to them! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Austingirl76- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter, even though it was sad for Chae and Jake. Victoria is a witch. Haha she is psycho. I'm glad you are loving Brucas! Thank you for reviewing, I love reading them! I hope you like this chapter!

**Brucasgirl42- **Thank you for reviewing, I always love getting new reviewers. I'm so happy that you are enjoying this story! I'm glad you are loving the emotion between Brooke and Lucas, and I'm glad you are enjoying Averie as well…she is a mini brooke huh. Haha. And you are right, there's even a little brooding Lucas there as well! I'm so glad you are enjoying this story, I hope you liked this chapter and I hope to hear from you again!

**Syd- **I hope you are having fun in Disneyworld! If you find Aladin bring him back for me :)

**Sara- **You'll be caught up one of these days! ILY BRF!


	36. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

**A/N: Okay everyone, here is the new chapter! Yeah, it's like 2 in the morning here, but I'm just getting ready to go out of town and I just finished packing so I figured I might as well post while I have a second. I'm going to be gone all week, and probably won't have much of a chance to write or get on the internet, soooo that means I won't be able to update for like a week. Buuut, if you guys all leave reviews, then I will update first thing when I get back. Sound like a deal?? Anyways, on to the chapter...the song in this chapter is called 'All About Us' and is by t.a.t.u. I really like this song, it doesn't exactly fit the chapter perfectly, but it does good enough and I really just wanted to use it haha. Sorry this chapter isn't as long as usual, I hope you like it anyways! Enjoy!!**_

* * *

_

_They say, they don't trust_

_You, me, we, us_

_So, we'll fall if we must_

_'Cause it's you, me, and its all about, it's all about_

_It's all about us_

**Chapter Thirty Six- Sitting, Waiting, Wishing**

Lucas waved a hand in front of Brooke's face, "Hey, are you there?"

Brooke shook her head, snapping back into reality. "Yeah, sorry" She mumbled, grabbing onto her coffee cup with both hands.

"I lost you for a minute" Lucas laughed, watching as Brooke started to relax again.

"I was just thinking…" Brooke said with a shrug. She shivered when she felt Lucas' hand on her thigh, lightly squeezing it. Maybe she would just tell him about the store _later_. "…I was thinking that since Averie is gone and you have a few hours until you have to go to work that _maybe_ I could show you what I got from Victoria's Secret the other day?"

"Ave is gone?" Lucas gulped.

"Mmhmm" Brooke purred, running a finger along his bare chest, "Chae and Jake took her for the day…" She stood from her chair, straddling Lucas' lap. As she sat on his legs she brought her hands to his face, slowly leaning towards him until her breath mixed with his. She smiled when she felt Lucas' body start to react to hers, his hands gripping her waist tightly.

"Then why are we still out here?" he asked, his voice low as he stood from the chair holding onto Brooke as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

As a surprised laugh escaped her throat all thoughts of Trish's phone call and every worry it brought had disappeared.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Luke" Brooke sighed, her fingers drawing on his arm while she laid across his chest, "You gotta get ready for work, you're gonna be late."

Lucas groaned, his arm tightening around Brooke's bare back. "Do I have to?"

Brooke laughed, letting her eyes slowly close, "It just depends on if you want them to kick your ass or not…" her voice grew quiet and her fingers stopped moving against his skin.

After a few minutes of silence Lucas loosened his grip on Brooke, "They got tickets for the Knicks game tonight, they are pretty good seats…"

"Mmm" Brooke responded, her eyes still closed, "Are you gonna see if Jake wants to go?"

"They gave me four tickets…do you and Chae want to tag along?" Lucas asked, shifting until he was halfway sitting up in bed.

"I'll ask her when they drop Ave off" Brooke said, rolling over so she was now snuggled against a pillow instead of Lucas.

Lucas stood from the bed, walking over to his dresser and starting to get dressed. He turned around and looked at Brooke who was already asleep in the spot he had been occupying moments ago. He loved how she always rolled over to his side of the bed when he wasn't there.

"Are you really going to sleep?" He asked, walking over to the bed and kneeling down next to her. "Can't you wait until I'm gone at least?"

"Why?" Brooke murmured, her eyes still closed.

"Because," Lucas stated, leaning down and pressing his lips against hers, smiling against her mouth when she slowly gave in to the kiss. He pulled away from her, watching her eyes slowly flutter open again. "When you are laying there, _like that_, its extremely hard not to climb back in bed and take advantage of you."

"Luke, you can't take advantage of me when I'm willing" Brooke said with a laugh, pushing against his now t-shirt clad chest. "Now can I go to sleep?"

Lucas exhaled deeply, "Fine" he groaned standing up and walking away from the bed. "Don't forget to ask Chae if they want to go to the game, I'll call you later."

"Okay, have a good day at work" Brooke said with a lazy wave of her arm, her head still firmly planted on the pillow, "Love you boyfriend" she said sleepily, pulling the blankets around her.

Lucas laughed, shaking his head, "I love you too crazy girl."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

It amazed Brooke what a morning cat nap could do for the body. She felt amazing…well rested and level headed. Now if she could only put a little bit of her newfound energy to thinking of a way to tell Lucas about the Tree Hill store, she would be in good shape. Instead, she busied herself with new designs, and was actually getting a lot of work done. She even got a chance to pull out the brand new book of fabric swatches that had been Fed-Exed to her. Trish was going to be ecstatic when she found out how much Brooke had gotten accomplished.

When she heard the front door open, she dropped the pencil she was holding and practically ran out of the room. Averie hadn't even been gone for a whole day and she missed the little girl like crazy.

"Hey!" Brooke said excitedly, turning the corner into the living room where Chae was setting bags down on the ground. "Did you guys have fun?"

"Yeah, Sassy was so cute" Chae smiled, walking over to the couch and thumbing through the magazines that were on the coffee table. "She pretty much passed out in the car though, Jake's getting her now."

"You guys must have worn her out" Brooke said, watching as Jake walked in with Averie sleeping on his shoulder. Averie's shoes were off and her hair was a mess, but Brooke couldn't be happier to see her baby.

"Did you have a good morning?" Jake asked, kicking the front door closed with his foot.

"Yeah, it was a pretty good morning" Brooke said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "I actually did get a lot of work done."

"Is _'work' _Luke's new nickname?" Chae asked playfully, raising her eyebrows and sticking her tongue out at Brooke.

"Funny" Brooke said sarcastically, nodding her head and rolling her eyes at her friend.

"I'm just gonna go lay Averie down" Jake said awkwardly, he always got uncomfortable when his girlfriend and best girl-friend talked about their sex lives. He just didn't get why the two had to be so open about _everything_.

"So when do you find out about the store?" Chae asked, "Aren't they supposed to be telling you this week? I bet you are like dying to find out all of the details."

Brooke tried to force out a smile, and was nervous about what her face looked like when she tried so hard. She knew the smile wasn't believable, and was glad that Chae had seemed to be interested in one of the magazines on the coffee table.

"Yeah, I'm just waiting for details" Brooke said, her voice coming out in quick whispers. She was pretty much thrilled when Jake walked back into the room. "Oh yeah, so Luke got tickets to the Knicks game tonight…"

"He did? That's awesome, this game sold out fast" Jake interrupted, a wide smile forming on his face.

"So I'm guessing you want to go?" Brooke asked with a laugh. "He said they are pretty good seats" she added with a shrug.

"Of course I'm in" Jake told her as if she shouldn't have even had to ask in the first place.

"Well, he has four tickets, so if you'll go I will too" Brooke told Chae.

"I guess" Chae sighed, uninterested.

"Chae, this is going to be one of the best games this season" Jake told her, his voice growing annoyed. "How could you two not be excited about this?"

"It's not _that _big of a deal, calm down buddy" Brooke said with a laugh, patting Jake's arm.

"You get excited way too easily, I mean it's a basketball game…" Chae said, her eyes wide as she stared at Jake. "And all you really need to watch is like the last couple minutes to find out who wins."

When Jake started to look even more frustrated than before Brooke nodded, "She's right" she told him with a small shrug.

"You two are impossible!"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"There's my girl" Brooke grinned as she walked into Averie's bedroom, the small brown and black dog following her closely. The little girl was standing up in her crib, holding onto the bar with one hand and rubbing her eyes with the other.

"Mommy" Averie smiled, her voice still sounding tired. "Geen fis!"

Brooke lifted Averie out of the crib, taking her to the changing table and laying her down. "Did you see a green fish?"

"Yike a fis" Averie grinned, kicking her legs when Brooke tried to put her tiny jeans back on.

"Hey Sassy" Brooke laughed, trying to hold Averie's legs still while the little girl laughed. She finally managed to get her legs into the jeans, standing Averie up to pull the jeans on. "Guess where we get to go tonight? We are going to go watch the basketball game with daddy and uncle Jake and aunt Chae and you are going to be the best little girl ever!"

"Daddy's ball?" Averie asked, lifting her arms so Brooke could change her shirt.

"Yup, daddy's basketball" Brooke nodded. Once Averie was dressed Brooke picked her up, resting the tiny girl on her hip. "What do you think about moving to Tree Hill?" Brooke asked, walking into the kitchen and putting Averie in her high chair. Averie babbled back, Brooke couldn't understand half of what she was saying. Brooke filled a sippy cup with juice, handing it to Averie and pouring some goldfish crackers on the tray.

"Fis!" Averie grinned, holding up a tiny orange fish in each hand.

"That's right" Brooke laughed. The kid had become obsessed with fish ever since Lucas had brought 'The Rainbow Fish' book home. Averie was ecstatic every time she saw a fish tank or was eating goldfish crackers. Brooke sat down on a chair next to Averie. "Do you think daddy will want to move to Tree Hill?" Brooke asked, watching as Averie just stared at her blankly while eating her crackers. Brooke picked Laela up from the ground when the small dog tried jumping onto her lap. She pet her soft fur, letting her mind wander.

She had been thinking about the store all day, and still had no clue how to break the news to Lucas. She didn't know why she was so nervous about it, Lucas was always understanding and had always been the first to support Brooke when it came to her clothing line. Its not like this time would be any different. This was a great opportunity for Brooke, and she was almost positive she couldn't let it pass by. She would love to live in Tree Hill again, that was for sure. It would be hard to leave New York, but she knew it would be better in the long run.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Getting ready always took so much longer than Brooke planned. And its not like it was her fault, she had to get herself ready as well as Averie, and it wasn't an easy task. Especially when Averie wouldn't even sit still long enough to let Brooke run a comb through her hair. Brooke finally managed to pull back the front pieces of Averie's hair, securing it in a small braid while the rest of her hair fell straight against her shoulders. Lucas had bought her a tiny Knicks jersey and Averie did look pretty cute in it.

"Babe, come on, we really need to get going" Lucas said for what seemed like the hundredth time as he poked his head in the bathroom.

"I know, I'm almost ready" Brooke told him, for what seemed like the hundredth time as well. She rolled her eyes as soon as he left the room. Its not like she could go to the game with her hair halfway curled.

Lucas came into the bathroom again, this time holding Averie in one arm and Brooke's ringing cell phone in the other hand.

"Who is it?" Brooke asked, holding the curling iron in her hair and a mascara wand in her other hand.

"It's Trish" Luke told her, waving the phone around while Averie laughed and tried to grab for it.

"Tell her I'll call her later" Brooke said, pulling the curling iron out of her hair, leaving the strand of hair bouncing.

Lucas flipped the phone open, walking out of the bathroom as he answered it. "Hey, Trish its Lucas."

"_Oh, hi Luke" Trish said warmly into the phone. "Is Brooke around?"_

"She kind of has her hands full" Lucas told her, setting Averie on the ground and watching as she sat in front of her basket of toys that stayed in the living room. "She said to tell you she'd have to call you later…"

"_Actually, could you just tell her that I just got word that the exec's are loving the new sketches for the summer line and are on board with adding them in the new store" Trish said, talking as fast as she usually did._

"Uh, sure" Lucas said, his voice sounding just as confused as he was feeling.

"_I bet you are excited for her," Trish smiled, "She's been waiting for this store for a long time."_

"Yeah" Lucas mumbled, "It'll be great."

"_It will" Trish agreed, "Anyways, I'll let you go. Tell Brooke I'll just talk to her in a few days."_

"Okay, bye Trish" Lucas said robotically, still trying to process all of the new information he had gained. For starters, what store? As far as he knew, they didn't even have a location for it yet, why would they be excited about the new summer line? He had probably just misunderstood what she meant. She was obviously talking about the store that they were discussing. The one that hadn't been decided yet.

"Luke" Brooke called, walking out of the bedroom, "Have you seen my brown jacket, the one with the big buttons and the tie?"

Lucas shook his head, "Uhh…did you check the laundry room?" He asked, his mind still on the phone call with Trish. He watched as Brooke's eyes lit up and she said something before walking away. He looked over at Averie as she bobbed her head while looking at a singing book. He figured she'd be fine for a few minutes and followed Brooke back into their bedroom. He walked in just as she was walking out of her closet, the brown jacket in her hands.

"Found it" she smiled triumphantly, holding it up to show him before slipping it on. "Did you pack some snacks for Sassy?"

"Yeah, she's ready to go" Lucas told her, his voice low and broody. "Hey, Trish wanted me to tell you that they are excited about the summer line and want to use it for the opening of the store."

Brooke nodded, "That's good" she said plainly, directing her focus to the earrings she was putting on.

"It was weird, she made it sound like they already decided on a store" Lucas told her, shaking his head. "Did they?"

Brooke inhaled and exhaled deeply, not wanting to get into this now. Hopefully she could just keep it casual, and give him details later, she decided that would definitely work best.

"Yeah, they talked about it and it's a for sure deal" Brooke told him, looking in the mirror and then over at Lucas, "Ready to go?" She asked, changing the subject and walking towards him. She ran her hand along his arm until it reached his, their fingers linking together.

She tried to walk out of the room, but he wasn't moving and it held her back as well.

"That's great Brooke, when did you find out?" Lucas asked, a smile forming on his face.

"Just this morning" she shrugged, pulling at his hand, "Come on…"

This time he started to walk with her, "So where is it going to be? Manhattan?"

"Luke, we're gonna be late" She laughed nervously, walking into the living room where Averie was busily throwing toys around the room.

"I just want to know about the store" Lucas said softly, watching as she nervously bit on her lip. He brought his free hand up to her arm, "Aren't you excited?"

"Yeah, I am…I just don't want to be late, Jake and Chae are gonna wonder where we are" Brooke told him, walking into the kitchen and checking her bag, making sure Lucas really had packed all of Averie's things.

"It seems like you are avoiding the subject" He said, following Brooke into the kitchen. "You forget, but I know you better than anyone…what's going on? I have a feeling there is something you aren't telling me."

Brooke tipped her head back, closing her eyes. She turned around and looked at Lucas, who was patiently waiting for her to explain. She couldn't remember when exactly it had gotten to the point where Lucas could read her like an open book, and she wished just this once he hadn't.

"It's just, they don't want to open the store _here_…" Brooke said with a sigh, picking her bag up and resting it on her shoulder.

"Where do they want to open it then? Brooklyn?" Lucas asked, furrowing his eyebrows in thought.

"Can't we just talk about this later?" Brooke asked, her voice practically begging with him. They didn't have time for a big discussion, not now. She opened the fridge, pulling out a water bottle, "Will you grab Ave?"

"I want to know what's going on Brooke, there's obviously something you aren't telling me" Lucas said, refusing to move until she stopped acting so weird.

She sighed, setting the water bottle down on the kitchen counter and bringing a hand to her forehead. He watched as her eyes scanned the room, each side, the floor and the ceiling before looking back up at him.

"It's just…" Brooke started, tipping her head back. "They don't want to open the store in New York."

Lucas narrowed his eyes at her, "I thought you said it was a done deal?"

Brooke exhaled deeply, "It is…it's a done deal to open the store in Tree Hill" she explained, watching as Lucas' eyes widened. "They think New York is just too competitive right now, and that maybe if we have one successful store then we could open one here in the future, they just don't want to set it up for failure."

"Wait a second" He said, bringing his hand up to his head, "How do they expect you to run a store in Tree Hill from here? Are they going to bring someone in to do it?"

"They want me to move there" Brooke said quietly, looking down at her fingers. She didn't even want to see Lucas' reaction.

"And you didn't think this was something you should tell me?" Lucas asked, his voice rising in frustration.

"No, I was going to tell you, I just wanted to wait for the right time" Brooke told him, her voice was shaky and her words were unsure.

"The right time?" He said, a sarcastic laugh escaping his lips. "The right time to tell me that you are moving to Tree Hill? What were you just gonna explain it all when you started packing?"

"God, I haven't even made a decision yet!" Brooke yelled in frustration, leaning her elbows against the counter and resting her head in her hands.

"Brooke, we both know what your decision is" He said, his voice finally lowering as he shook his head from side to side. "It's not like you can say no to this." Lucas left the kitchen, and went into the living room where Averie was taking every single DVD out of its case. He crouched down next to her, not even having the energy to be mad at the mess surrounding his daughter. "Come on Ave" he said, reaching his arms out to the little girl, "Let's go get in the car."

The ride in the car was awkward to say the least. Lucas didn't say a word the whole time, and Averie was the only one actually talking. Other than Averie, the only other sounds in the car was the nursery rhymes cd playing in the stereo. When they finally got to the stadium, everyone was thrilled to get out of the car. Brooke got Averie out of the back seat while Lucas made sure he had the tickets.

"Walk!" Averie screamed, wiggling in Brooke's arms to try and get out of them.

"You can't walk, there are too many people" Brooke tried to explain, tightening her hold on the screaming little girl.

"Mine walk!" Averie cried, kicking her legs in attempt to get down.

Brooke just smiled as the people that were walking by stared. She knew the terrible two's were coming, and had a feeling this was just the beginning.

Lucas searched around in Brooke's purse, pulling out a plastic pink cup and handing it to Averie, "Here, do you want some juice?"

Averie took the cup from her dad and surveyed it, then screamed "No!" and threw the cup on the ground.

"Maybe this was a bad idea" Brooke sighed, handing Averie to Lucas.

"She'll be fine" Lucas told Brooke, taking the binky that Brooke was holding, "Ave, we gotta go inside and find Chae and the basketballs!" He told her in a cheery voice, hoping that she would get excited and calm down.

"Mine Sae" Averie told him with a pout, grabbing the binky from his hands and putting it in her mouth.

Brooke and Lucas were both relieved when Averie finally calmed down, her mood seemed to change instantly. They met up with Chae and Jake and all went inside to find their seats. Averie clung to Chae, moving between her lap and Jake's.

Lucas sat quietly in his seat, staring at the court while the two teams warmed up. Brooke always found it weird to be in there, watching Kade play basketball like she had done so many times before. After her run in with his mom last year, it made things even more uncomfortable between them, but luckily she hadn't ran into him or talked to him since. It helped that he was probably trying to avoid her as well. Lucas had talked to Kade, having to interview him for the show, but they didn't talk about anything personal. Brooke was glad, because she really didn't want Lucas to freak out at Kade about everything that had happened.

Brooke linked her arm through Lucas', she laid her head against his shoulder, "I'm sorry" she said quietly.

"Lets just talk about this later" Lucas said, still staring down at the court.

"You're brooding" Brooke frowned, "I don't want you to be mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you, I just want to watch the game" he said, his voice coming out a little more irritated than Brooke was expecting.

As Lucas stared at the orange ball being tossed around, he didn't even register what he was watching. His mind was on anything but the basketball game that he had been previously looking forward to. He was so excited for Brooke, knowing that her dream was actually becoming a reality. She had worked so hard for years, and it was finally paying off. He was happy she was finally getting the chance to open a store, he really was. He was just worried how that was going to effect every other aspect of their lives. Things had been going so well for them, and now it was like the carpet was being ripped from under their feet, sending them sailing in the air. It seemed like everything was happening all at once, and he really didn't want his world to change. If Brooke did move back home to Tree Hill to open her store, then where would that leave their relationship? And how would it affect Averie? With his job there was no way he could go with her, and that meant that they would be split up. He just hoped their relationship would be able to handle that if thats what it came down to. He wasn't willing to let her go.

Chae was watching Brooke and Lucas and knew something was off. Jake and Lucas were sitting by each other, and since Brooke was sitting on the opposite side of Lucas, the two girls were as far away from each other as possible. It was driving Chae crazy not to be able to talk to Brooke and find out what was wrong. When Averie crawled from her lap over to Jake's, Chae stood up, slipping past Jake and Lucas.

"Hey, I'm gonna go to the bathroom" Chae announced, looking from Jake who nodded down to Brooke who was staring off into space. She tapped Brooke's shoulder, "Do you wanna come with me?"

Brooke looked up, not even realizing Chae was standing in front of her. "Uh, yeah" Brooke told her, bringing herself out of her thoughts and back into the present. She looked over to make sure Averie was okay and stood up, following Chae out of the bleachers.

Once the two girls were out in the hallways Chae grabbed Brooke's hand, dragging her over to a small table that was set up by the concession stands. The hallways were practically bare considering the 'game of the season' was about to start.

"I thought you had to go to the bathroom?" Brooke asked with a raised eyebrow as Chae pushed her down on the bench.

Chae waved her hand, dismissing what Brooke had said. "What's going on with you and Lucas?" She asked, sitting down next to Brooke and cutting straight to the point.

"Nothing" Brooke sighed, looking anywhere but at Chae.

"Okay, so I know I'm not like the smartest person ever, but I'm not a total idiot" Chae said with a laugh. "I can tell something is wrong, you aren't being annoyingly cheery and he is being extra broody…that plus the fact you two aren't like all touchy and all over each other raises a red flag."

Brooke groaned, knowing that Chae wasn't going to back off until she had an answer. "Well, they decided to open the store in Tree Hill and not here. Lucas found out right before we were coming and he's kind of upset."

"Why are they opening the store in Tree Hill? You _can't _leave New York! What are you guys going to do?" Chae shrieked, just as surprised as Lucas had been.

Brooke covered her face in her hands, "I don't know!"

"God, no wonder Lucas is freaking out" Chae said, shaking her head.

"Okay, you really aren't helping here!" Brooke cried.

"Sorry" Chae gulped, "But I mean, are you going to have to move there? Is Lucas going with you?"

"We haven't really talked about it, but he signed a contract with his job and is pretty much stuck" Brooke frowned, "If we do decide to open the store there then I'm going to have to move there. I just don't know what to do. I can't let this chance slip away."

"So are you and Ave just gonna move there or what?" Chae asked.

"I'm not really sure, we didn't have a chance to talk about it, and at the moment he's like not talking to me at all which just makes everything worse" Brooke sighed, her voice filling with sadness.

Chae rested a hand on Brooke's knee, "I'm sorry buddy. But I'm sure you two will work it out, you always do."

"I guess" Brooke shrugged, standing from the bench. "We should probably get back in there, Jake's probably wondering where you went…"

Chae linked her arm through Brooke's as they started to walk back into the stadium. "Luke loves you, and even though everything sucks right now, I know it will get better" she told Brooke, leaning her head close to her friends, "I mean, look at everything me and Jake went through…"

Brooke let out a sarcastic laugh, "I'm pretty sure me and Lucas have already been through enough."

Chae just shrugged, giving Brooke a small smile. She didn't really know what to say, because Brooke was right. Her and Lucas had been through a lot together, and it seemed like things were never easy for them. Chae knew that they'd work it out though, she couldn't imagine Brooke without Lucas, or Lucas without Brooke.

They made their way back to their seats, Averie squealing in delight when she saw her mom and Chae. Lucas looked over at Brooke when she sat down, giving her a small smile because at the moment it was all he could offer.

Brooke reached for his hand, linking her fingers in between his. She let out a relieved sigh when she felt his hand lightly squeeze hers. It was a small gesture, but at least he wasn't pulling away from her completely.

* * *

**A/N: Lucas knows! Now what's going to happen? Hmm, I dunno! I don't have time to write personal thank you's this time, but seriously, THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed the last chapter...you know who you are! I hope you all liked this chapter, make sure and let me know what you thought! Don't forget to review and I will update when I get home from my vacation! I love you all! You are the greatest! XOXOX Linds**


	37. Meet In The Middle

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back! Yaaay! I had a great time on vacation, it was sad to come home, but it does feel good to get back to normal! Sorry it took so long to update, honestly I was just being lazy. Thank you for being patient with me though, and the next one will be out a lot quicker! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it was amazing to come home to so many reviews in my email!! Speaking of reviews….we hit 900! OMG I'm like pretty much in shock still. I owe you guys a biiig thanks for being so amazing and supportive of my story. I appreciate every single one of you who reviews my story, especially those of you who review every single time without missing a beat. You are all amazing! Anyways, on to the chapter! The song is called 'I'll Stand By You' and I used the Carrie Underwood version just cuz I like it better! Haha. Anyways, enjoy!!**

_

* * *

_

When you're standin' at the crossroads

_And don't know which path to choose _

_Let me come along _

_'Cause even if you're wrong _

_I'll stand by you _

**Chapter Thirty Seven- Meet In The Middle**

Brooke slowly closed the white door behind her, leaning against the doorframe after it was shut. She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. It felt like the day was never ending and it was making her tired. Averie had been in one of her sassy moods, and on most days it only entertained Brooke. But that added with the frustration of a silent Lucas, she couldn't deal. She ran her fingers through her short brown hair, tucking the strands of hair behind her ears. When she walked into her and Lucas' bedroom it was empty. The bathroom door was closed, and she figured that's where he must be. After changing into her pajamas, she loosened the blankets on their bed, turning on the bedside table before climbing in. Once her head fell onto the pillow, she felt a little bit better.

"Is she asleep?" Lucas asked, walking out of the bathroom.

Brooke turned around in bed to face him, "Yeah, finally" she told him, her voice quiet. She watched as he walked around the bed, lifting the blankets up before climbing in next to her.

Brooke was laying on her side with her back facing Lucas. It felt wrong with him not touching her. She could feel the heat from his body next to her and it was making her shiver. Silence had been wrapped around them like a tight blanket, and she hated it. They hardly talked during the whole basketball game, and the ride home was filled with the cries of a tired Averie. She felt Lucas moving around beside her, and she closed her eyes tightly, wishing he would say something. Anything. But when she opened her eyes again, the room was still quiet while the light from her small lamp made the room glow. She almost jumped in surprise when she felt Lucas' hand land on top of her shoulder.

His grip tightened as he pulled her towards him, making her turn over until they were face to face. He watched as Brooke bit on her lip nervously, her eyes searching his. His fingers traveled along the soft skin of her arm and his eyes looked away from hers.

"I'm not mad at you" He told her, his voice coming out soft but comforting. His eyes were still looking anywhere but in hers while his fingers danced on her skin. "I know this is what you need to do. Hell, it's what you've been waiting for. But I can't help but feel a little bit selfish, I don't want to let you go."

Brooke bit down harder on her lip as she listened to Lucas' voice crack. She waited until his eyes finally met with hers again and then brought her hand up to his face. "Luke-"

"No, Brooke. I want to be happy for you, I really do, but its hard when this is going to tear us apart" Lucas sat up in bed, the blankets falling into a puddle on his lap. Lucas ran a hand through his short blonde hair, shaking his head from side to side. He didn't want to look at Brooke, because he couldn't bear to see the look on her face. "What is this going to do to us? And what about Averie?"

His voice was turning from angry to scared with each word he spoke, and it was worrying Brooke. She sat up, blinking her eyes shut quickly before speaking. "We're stronger than this Lucas" Brooke told him, her voice pleading with him. "We've been through so much already, we can't let this get the best of us."

"God, Brooke" Lucas yelled, throwing his arm out to the side. "I don't know how you can be so casual about all of this. They aren't opening the store across town…they are opening it in another _state_! Distance isn't exactly a healthy relationships best friend!"

"So what Lucas? What do you want me to do?" Brooke asked, her voice challenging as she threw her arms up in the air in defeat. "Do you want me to say no to the store? Or should me and you just call it quits right now? What do you want!" She yelled, pushing the palms of her hands hard against Lucas' chest.

Lucas shook his head from side to side, "I want _you _Brooke" he said quietly, his voice lowering as his eyes looked directly into hers.

Before Brooke could think about it she lunged forward, her arms linking tightly around Lucas' neck while her lips landed directly onto his. She sat up on her knees, pressing her body as hard against Lucas as she could while his hands traveled through her hair, pulling her head closer to his.

Brooke breathed heavily against Lucas' mouth, their chests rising and falling in rhythm with each other as they tried to catch their breath. Lucas trailed his lips along Brooke's neck as he hastily pushed and pulled at her pajama pants.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke woke up the next morning, her body entangled with Lucas'. She sighed happily, remembering the night before. Angry sex was definitely not a bad thing she decided. As she slowly opened her eyes, she was met with his blue ones staring down at her.

"Good morning" Lucas smiled, kissing the tip of her nose.

"What time is it?" Brooke mumbled, burying her head in the crook of his neck.

"A little after six."

Brooke nodded, closing her eyes again as she breathed in the familiar scent of Lucas. She smiled against Lucas as she felt face against her hair. They hadn't been laying there for very long when they heard tiny footsteps approaching their bedroom. Brooke moved around in bed, her hands traveling down Lucas' body making sure he at least had boxers on.

Lucas laughed, "Brooke, don't go there now…"

Brooke slapped his stomach with the back of her hand, shaking her head and rolling onto her pillow. "I was just making sure you had something on, _ass_" she smirked. She lifted her head when she heard their door slowly open.

Averie padded over to the big bed, holding her purple monkey in one hand and her pink blanket in the other. Laela came in behind Averie, yapping excitedly as she followed Averie dutifully. Averie rubbed her eye with the back of her hand before throwing her blanket and monkey onto the bed. "Mommy" she mumbled through her binky, reaching her arms up to Brooke.

"Hey baby" Brooke grinned, sitting up in bed and leaning over to lift Averie onto the bed. Averie immediately laid her head against Brooke's shoulder, tangling her tiny hands in her moms silky hair.

Lucas scooted closer to Brooke, wrapping one arm around Brooke and resting his other hand on Averie's back. "Good morning Ave" Lucas smiled, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. "Did you sleep good last night?"

Averie sat up, pulling her binky out of her mouth and smiling at her parents. "Mine ba-ba" She said with a sleepy smile, keeping one arm tight around Brooke's neck.

"Should we go get you some breakfast?" Lucas asked, climbing out of bed and putting a t-shirt on. Averie let go of Brooke and crawled across the bed, lifting her arms up to Lucas.

Brooke got out of bed, following Averie and Lucas in the kitchen, laughing as Averie babbled animatedly to Lucas. She sat at the table with Averie while Lucas made breakfast.

"What do you have going on today?" Lucas asked, looking over at Brooke and Averie from his spot in the kitchen.

"I have to go into the office for a few hours" Brooke told him, running her fingers through Averie's hair while she contently drank out of a sippy cup. "Sketches due" She explained, tipping her head to the side. "I should be able to take Ave though."

"I don't have to go in for a few hours, so if you want to run over there before I go I can watch her."

"If you could just watch her while I get ready then that would be great" Brooke told him casually, lifting her coffee cup to her lips.

Lucas walked over to the table, lifting Averie from Brooke's lap and putting her in the high chair. "I was thinking-"

"Thinking? By _thinking _do you mean _brooding_?" Brooke asked with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

Lucas brought a tiny plate over to Averie, setting it on her tray and watching as she ignored the tiny spoon instead using her hands to eat the eggs. "I hate the idea of you living in Tree Hill while I'm here" Lucas said, ignoring Brooke's comment while he kept his eyes focused on Averie. "But you can't let this opportunity go" he sighed, sitting down in a chair next to Brooke and turning to face her. Brooke opened her mouth to speak and Lucas lifted his hand to stop her, "I'm sorry that I haven't been very supportive, but I know we can do this…"

Brooke smiled, happy that Lucas was actually telling her how she felt. She had been sick to her stomach ever since she found out about the Tree Hill store, and if Lucas wasn't on her side she didn't see how it would work. But the way he stared into her eyes with the utmost sincerity told her that maybe things would be okay after all.

Lucas narrowed his eyebrows towards her, waving a hand in front of her face, "Brooke?"

She shook her head, looking back up at Lucas, "Yeah?"

Lucas laughed slightly, "I thought I lost you for a second…"

"No, I'm good" Brooke said slowly. She bit on her fingernail, looking up at Lucas nervously, "Do you really think it will be okay?"

Lucas exhaled deeply, sitting down on a chair across the table from Brooke. He looked over at Averie who was content eating her breakfast, and then looked back at Brooke. "Yeah," he said confidently, nodding his head. "It will be a lot of work, but we can get through this. I know we can."

Brooke nodded, her lips slowly turning up into a smile, "Thanks Luke" she said softly, tipping her head to the side. They sat quietly for a few minutes, Laela yapping excitedly when Averie turned her plate upside down, letting all of her breakfast fall to the floor.

"Yaeya!" Averie clapped happily, leaning over as much as she could in her high chair to watch her tiny dog smell the foreign food on the ground.

Lucas and Brooke just laughed, "She's definitely _your _daughter" Lucas said, rolling his eyes towards Brooke.

Brooke stopped laughing suddenly, her eyes welling up with tears as she watched Averie giggle. "What about Ave? We're gonna turn her whole world upside down Luke."

"Daddy…daddy" Averie whined, obviously frustrated as pushing at her high chair tray in attempt to get out.

Lucas stood up, expertly getting Averie out of the chair and letting her down. "She'll be okay Brooke, this isn't permanent" Lucas said softly, watching as Averie chased Laela out of the kitchen. Lucas reached for Brooke's hands, pulling her into a standing position and wrapping his arms around her. "We'll see each other every weekend" Lucas promised, running his fingers through her messy brown hair.

"How?" Brooke choked out, gripping onto the back of his shirt. She had been so excited about the store and about living in Tree Hill that she hadn't considered all of the consequences until now. Sure she had thought about them, but not in detail considering she was trying to push it out of her mind.

"I'll come there, you guys can come here…Averie can spend some weeks with me, others with you…we'll work it out." Lucas promised, saying all of the words he knew she needed to hear even though he wasn't so sure of them himself. He pulled back, looking at Brooke and giving her a small smile. "Now where's my Cheery?"

Brooke wiped at her cheeks, inhaling deeply, "I guess I better go call Haley" she shrugged, a smile slowly growing on her face. Lucas laughed and rolled his eyes as she practically bounced out of the room.

"Don't worry…I'll clean up this mess!" Lucas yelled after her.

On the way to her bedroom, Brooke looked in Averie's room and saw the little girl busily throwing all of her big, plastic legos into her crib while Laela was curled up in Averie's pink blanket on the floor. She went into her bedroom, getting her cell phone off of her bedside table. She quickly dialed Haley's number and smiled widely when her friend answered.

"_Hey Tigger" Haley said into the phone, exhaustion spilling out with her words._

"Hey buuuuddy" Brooke said happily into the phone, plopping down onto her and Luke's bed. "Are you okay?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"_I couldn't sleep at all last night" Haley groaned, "this baby has seriously been kicking like crazy. Every single time I close my eyes, she goes crazy…I swear Max was never this bad!"_

"Aww" Brooke sighed, "I'm sorry Tutor-Mom…but I _might _have some news to cheer you up!"

"_What? Are you pregnant?" Haley asked, finally sounding a little bit more awake which made Brooke laugh._

"Nope, sorry" Brooke cringed, "We've already had this discussion. But no, my news is even _better _than that" Brooke grinned. "You are horrible at guessing, so I'll just tell you! We've decided to open a Clothes over Bro's store in Tree Hill!"

"_That's great" Haley said, sounding more confused than excited which threw Brooke off. "But, why? I mean, you don't even live here…why not open in New York?"_

"That's the exciting part…well kinda exciting…" Brooke sighed, her cheeriness fading for a few seconds when she thought about leaving Lucas behind. She shook her head, forcing her happy attitude back. "Since we're opening the store there I'm going to move there and run it!"

"_Are you serious?" Haley said, this time sounding shocked. "Brooke! Oh my god!"_

Lucas walked into the bedroom, holding Averie in one arm as he heard Brooke and Haley squeal at the same time as if on cue. Averie glared towards Brooke, not liking her mom making such loud, weird noises.

Lucas held up his free hand, "Okay, I heard Haley screaming through the phone" He told Brooke with a raised eyebrow. Brooke in returned waved her hand at him, turning her attention back to the phone that she was holding up to her ear.

"I know!" Brooke smiled, watching as Lucas and Averie left the room. "It's gonna be great!"

"_So is Lucas excited about living here? I mean, hasn't he lived in New York like his whole life…and he has that job that Nathan is like totally jealous over."_

"Well" Brooke said, biting on her bottom lip. "This is the bad part…Lucas signed a contract with his job-"

"_He's gonna find a way out of it though right?" Haley asked, interrupting Brooke._

"We don't know if he'll be able to" Brooke frowned, "Ugh, it's going to be horrible Hale's."

"_And Lucas is okay with this?"_

"He wasn't very happy when I told him, but he slowly calmed down and came around. He's being really supportive, saying I can't turn away from this opportunity…But I'm scared Haley, I mean, what if this ruins us?"

_Haley sighed, "I'm sure you guys will be fine…"_

"You don't sound very convincing" Brooke huffed. "I know what you are thinking Haley-"

"_I'm thinking that you and Lucas can get through anything" Haley said quickly._

"Whatever, you don't even _like _him" Brooke sighed, leaning back into the pillows on her bed.

"_I do" Haley admitted, "I know I haven't been like super warm and welcoming, but I think he's proved himself…and I can tell he loves you, and Averie. You two have been through a lot together, just remember that…a little distance should be a piece of cake."_

"I hope so" Brooke sighed, "But I mean, at least me and you will get to hang out like all the time, just like it used to be."

"_You'll be so busy with your store" Haley laughed._

"God, why do you always have to put things into perspective" Brooke groaned, "But I guess you'll be busy with Naley baby part two anyways."

"_When are you moving here?"_

"They want to open the store in two months, they already have a place in mind…I'm not sure when exactly I'll have to move there though."

Lucas leaned his head around the corner, peeking in at Brooke, "Uhm, Brooke…"

"Hold on a sec Haley" Brooke said, covering the receiver with her hand and looking up at Lucas who was acting a little nervous.

"Averie just put Laela in the bathtub, and I'm pretty sure you bought a large rat and not a dog" he said, now standing in the doorway holding out a wet and shivering puppy while Averie laughed at his feet saying 'tubby time Yaeya!'

Brooke shook her head, "Sorry," she said into the phone, "I better go, Averie just put the dog in the bathtub and Lucas acts like he has no idea what to do…I'll call you later."

"_Wow, that poor guy" Haley laughed, "Call me when you find out details about moving here."_

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke carried a sleeping Averie into the office building where Trish's office was located. On the seventh floor of this building they had rented out a small office space for Clothes over Bro's. Brooke had sketches that were due and she was also supposed to be meeting with some of the people that were looking over the new store. She was excited that she was going to give them her decision today, but she was just as scared. She knew that once she told them that she wanted to open the store that she would have to move.

Brooke pulled open the glass door, balancing her large bag on one shoulder and a sleeping Averie on the other. The great thing about carrying around an almost two year olds was that Brooke's arms were amazing. She decided that she might as well banish any shirt that included sleeves, because her arms were too great not to show off.

"Hey, how are you today?" Trish asked, walking out of her office and into the small reception area.

"Good" Brooke said with a smile and a nod. "How are you?"

"Busy busy" Trish smiled, walking over to the fax machine and punching in some numbers. "So, did you come up with a decision? Sam Henderson is on his way over here to talk details."

Brooke sat down on the couch, careful not to wrinkle her skirt. Averie stirred around a little bit, then settled back on Brooke's shoulder. "Yeah, I think so" Brooke said, a little unsurely. "I'm just gonna go lay her down" Brooke said, nodding towards Averie. Trish nodded, her attention focused back on the fax machine that was making a buzzing and whirring sound.

Brooke walked into Trish's very neat office, laying Averie down in the small playpen they had set up in the corner. Brooke usually tried to work out coming to the office during Averie's naptime so that she could just sleep, and that always worked out to everyone's advantage. Brooke turned on the baby monitor, picking up the other one before she left the room. She was lucky that she was able to bring Averie to work, since it was her company she knew people couldn't exactly object to it.

"She's getting so big" Trish said with a smile, paper clipping a few papers together and then looking up at Brooke.

"I know" Brooke smiled, "Its crazy. She's talking so much now, its like unbelievable."

"I know how that goes" Trish said with a warm smile. Trish's oldest son just graduated from High School, and her youngest just got his drivers license. Trish loved when Averie was around the office, and Brooke could tell she missed having a baby around.

The phone on the front desk started to ring, and Trish answered it. From what Brooke could tell, Sam Henderson was waiting downstairs and Trish had said to send him up. Brooke had only met Mr. Henderson twice, but from what she could tell he was a nice guy. Trish had hired him to help her with the new store opening, and he had been the voice of reason all the way through. He was really level headed and seemed to want what was best for Brooke.

Ten minutes later Sam and a few of his associates were sitting at the table with Trish and Brooke. The office was busy today, and they kept being interrupted by secretaries and phone calls. Brooke was just glad Averie was still asleep.

"So Miss Davis" Sam said, smiling warmly towards Brooke. "Have you made a decision about the store? We don't want to rush you into anything, but after doing a little research, we think this could be a great opportunity for you and your clothing line."

_What about my family? Is it a great opportunity there too? _Brooke thought in her head, She smiled, shaking the thoughts away. "I agree, after thinking about it I've decided it's the right time, and the right place."

"Perfect" Sam smiled, ruffling through a few papers that were laid out in front of him. "We were hoping you would feel that way." He turned towards one of the men next to him, "Will you go call, tell them we do want that store." The man nodded, sneaking out of the room. He turned his attention back to Brooke and Trish, "Like Trish told you, we have found the perfect spot for your store. We put a small deposit down in hopes that you would agree."

"So we are planning to open in two months, right?" Brooke asked.

"Yes." Sam smiled. "We will need you down there at least two weeks earlier though, we want you to be involved as much as you possibly can. We want you to oversee the store as it is being set up, making sure that it is what you have envisioned."

"Right," Brooke nodded. "So a month and a half?" She questioned, more to herself than anyone else. It seemed like everything was moving so fast. She didn't even have a place to live in Tree Hill. She didn't know if she was ready to leave Lucas and New York behind, not so soon anyways.

"That's right" Sam told her, "We just need to go over some of these documents, get your signature on a few lines and we'll be good as gold."

Trish turned to Brooke, squeezing her arm, "This is exciting" she said quietly.

**One Month Later**

"It's too big Lucas, I don't want a house that big" Brooke said through gritted teeth as they followed the realtor, Tonya, around this house for the _third _time.

"And I really think the second dining room would be a great advantage" Tonya said ecstatically, the way she praised _everything _that she spoke about. Brooke was pretty sure she could make a house filled with rodents seem amazing.

"It might be good for you, I like the neighborhood" Lucas said, leaning down towards Brooke.

"Lucas, the people that live in this neighborhood are rich and retired" Brooke said with wide eyes.

"Yeah, exactly…it's a safe, well respected neighborhood" Lucas told her flatly, wrapping his fingers tighter around hers and dragging her into the next room where their realtor was still yapping away.

"You know what" Brooke said loudly, watching as Tonya finally stopped talking and turned around to face them. "This house just isn't going to work out" Brooke said, shrugging her shoulders. "Do you have any others we might be interested in?"

Tonya scrunched her eyebrows, pushing her silver rimmed glasses further up on her nose and consulting the clip board she was carrying. Brooke and Lucas watched as she flipped through a few pages and then looked back up at them. "There is another one, it's a tad bit smaller though, actually, it's kind of close to the high school."

Brooke's eyes lit up, "Perfect, we definitely want to look at that one" she said with a wide smile. Haley only lived a few blocks from Tree Hill high, so that would be perfect.

Lucas and Brooke followed the realtor to the next house. They had left Averie with Haley, who looked like she was about to pop, so that they could look at houses. They had already looked at a ton of houses today, and they were both sick of it. They were only in town for two days, and it was making finding the perfect house even more stressful. If Lucas liked the house, Brooke didn't. If Brooke liked it, Lucas had something negative to say about it. But they knew that when they found the perfect house they would both agree.

"Lucas, it's so close to the beach!" Brooke grinned, resting her feet on the dashboard as they drove through the neighborhood. "And look!" She grinned, tapping her finger on the window, "There are actually _kids _playing in this neighborhood!"

"I just don't know if you want to be so close to the High School" Lucas groaned, "I mean, you know how High School kids are…"

Brooke just rolled her eyes, sitting up straight as she watched the realtor pull over in front of a pretty white house with the greenest lawn she had ever seen.

"Oh my god Lucas!" Brooke grinned, "This house has a white picket fence!" She clapped her hands together, "This is pretty much _perfect_!"

For the first time all day, neither Brooke nor Lucas had one negative thing to say about the house. The house had four bedrooms and three bathrooms. It wasn't too big, or too small. Brooke's house growing up had been way too big, and she never felt at home there. She always told herself that when she finally had a house of her own, it would actually feel like a home. She could definitely see this house being her home. It was a new house, and everything was updated. From what Brooke could tell, there wasn't anything wrong with it.

"I'll give you two a chance to walk around" Tonya said, smiling as she noticed Brooke staring around the kitchen in awe. "I'll be outside when you guys are done" she announced before leaving the room.

"So" Brooke prodded, trying to tone down the huge dimpled smile that was gracing her face. "What do you think?" She asked, almost nervously, linking two fingers through Lucas' belt loops on the front of his jeans.

Lucas looked around, squinting his eyes. "I like it" He said finally, looking down at Brooke and smiling. He watched as her eyes lit up and he took it as his opportunity to kiss her. He wasn't surprised when Brooke wrapped her arms around his neck and began kissing him frantically. She was after all in love with this house.

Lucas walked Brooke backwards until her back ran into the wall. His hands ran along her bare arms, down to the flimsy cotton skirt she was wearing. Brooke smiled against his mouth, wrapping her legs around his waist in one swift motion. Lucas held onto her legs, pushing her against the wall even harder so she wouldn't fall down. Her tongue was frantically attacking his and he couldn't help but slide her skirt farther and farther up her legs. He groaned against her lips as his fingers came in contact with lacy panties.

Tonya walked down the hall, "Oh, and I forgot to mention" she started, turning around the corner and stepping back quickly when she saw Brooke sandwiched in between Lucas and the kitchen wall while his fingers traveled along her bare thighs. She cleared her throat, and they still didn't notice her. She cleared her throat once more…it's not like she could leave them here, not like _that_. This wasn't even their house, and she was after all responsible for everyone she let in.

Lucas detached his lips from Brooke's quickly, seeing the confusion in her eyes as he pulled away. She looked over, realizing why his fingers were no longer moving on her leg. She quickly detached her legs from Lucas' waist, sliding down the wall until her feet were firmly planted on the ground again. They both looked over at Tonya, and they couldn't tell if she was amused or disgusted. Brooke pulled on her skirt that was hiked up around her waist and Lucas ran a hand through his hair.

"We'll take it" he said confidently, using his most business like voice possible.

"Alright" Tonya nodded, obviously uncomfortable just to be in the same room as them. "I will call their realtor right now" she informed them, waiting for them to leave the room.

Brooke was trying her hardest not to laugh as her and Lucas walked out of the house, followed by Tonya. The stood in the front yard, watching as Tonya walked over to her car, talking on her cell phone.

Brooke turned to face Lucas and immediately started laughing.

"So that might have been more embarrassing than funny" Lucas decided.

"No way" Brooke laughed, shaking her head from side to side. "Way more funny than embarrassing. I'm pretty sure we just gave her the shock of her life!"

"What? You don't think she walks in on clients almost having sex in the houses she's trying to sell?" Lucas asked nonchalantly, watching as Brooke erupted into another fit of laughter. Lucas started to laugh as well after thinking about it, "Okay, so it _is _pretty funny."

Tonya walked back towards them, "Okay, they have one other offer on the house right now, but it isn't a done deal yet so if the offer is right, it can still be yours" she told them, refusing to look either of them in the eye now.

"Is the other offer at asking price?" Lucas asked, watching as Tonya slowly nodded her head, "Well, offer them 20 thousand more" he told her with a shrug. "But along with that we are going to be able to move in somewhere in the next two weeks."

"Are you sure? I don't think that is necessary…" Tonya said, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's a lot of money."

"We're a power couple" Brooke grinned, linking her arm through Lucas'.

"We want this house, lets make sure it happens" Lucas told Tonya, watching as she retreated back towards her car and dialed a number on her cell phone again.

"Okay, so you just gave her another shock with that money talk" Brooke giggled, "Now you are just _trying _to freak her out!"

Lucas shrugged, "You love this house, it's worth it."

"Sorry to interrupt" A voice came from next door. Brooke and Lucas turned around to see a guy standing on the other side of the small white picket fence. He was tall and built, he had dark brown hair that was cut short and his eyes were piercing. "Are you thinking about buying this house?" He asked, resting his hands on the tiny fence.

"Why, do you have any good horror stories about it?" Brooke asked with a wry smile and raised eyebrows.

The man laughed, "No, sadly I don't. This is a great neighborhood, I really think you would like it here."

"That's good to hear," Lucas said, wrapping his arm around Brooke's shoulder protectively. "So you live next door?"

"Yeah," the guy said, turning back and motioning towards his house.

"Well, nice to meet you neighbor" Brooke smiled, leaning into Lucas. "I'm Brooke, and this is Lucas."

"It's nice to meet you" he said with a nod of his head, "I'm Owen. So did you two just get married or-"

Brooke shrugged, "Nah, we kinda skipped that step."

"Our daughter just turned two actually" Lucas said, making sure that this Owen guy knew that Brooke was in fact taken. He hadn't missed the way Owen's eyes casually scanned his girlfriends body.

"Then I think this neighborhood will be perfect for you. There are a lot of younger kids around" Owen told them, "Well, I'll let you guys get going, it was good to meet you."

"You too" Lucas said, nodding his head. They watched as Owen turned around, walking back inside his house.

"Well, he seemed nice" Brooke said with an uninterested shrug.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

**

* * *

**

A/N: Sooo, what did you think?? Make sure and review and let me know! I hope you guys all liked it! This story is going to start moving along a lot faster now, I hope you guys don't mind! I guess its about time huh! The next chapter will be up a lot faster, I promise! Let me just say, it was greeeaat to come home from my trip to a very full email inbox thanks to your amazing reviews! Thank you for being patient with me! You guys are the best! XOXOX Lindsay

**Thank You's:**

**Onetreefan: **haha yeah, that was a nice little twist wasn't it! My vacation was very fun, thank you! Brucas falling apart is sad, but don't worry for now they are okay…I'm glad you trust me, by the time this story is over everything will be perfect! We're still on the winding road to that end though ahha. Thank you for always reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!

**Dolcegrazia: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! And I'm also glad you always love the dialogue in my chapters! That is very good to hear! Thank you, I did have fun on my trip!! I hope you like this chapter, thanks for reviewing always!

**Chasity (chasitybsp): **haha, yeah the last chapter was a little upsetting wasn't it?? Right when they get comfortable and settled its like BAM! Brucas…never a dull moment. Haha. My vacation was really fun, but it is good to be back! Thank you for always reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas3: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! It was also good to hear that you thought Lucas' reaction was realistic…of course he would be upset! I'm glad you liked the ending of the chapter though. Thank you, my trip was wonderful!! Thank you for reviewing, it was really good to read. I hope you like this chapter!

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE: **It is good that Lucas finally knows…its not good for him to be in the dark on such important happenings! I guess you'll just have to wait and see whats gonna happen haha. Thank you for always reviewing, I love them. I hope you liked this chapter.

**Katherine: **So, your reviews never cease to amaze me. In fact, they never ever hurt my feelings. In other words, I love them. Haha. But I think you already knew that. That really was a pretty big cliffhanger now that I think about it haha. What a terrible time for a cliffhanger when I couldn't even update fast. Geez, that was kinda rude haha. My vacation was great, thank you! I was sad to come back, but then again its nice to be home and back to normal. I'm glad you loved the last chapter, you should be careful on the edge of your seat, that could be dangerous haha. Brucas are way too cute together, I had to give you cuteness before I dropped the bombshell haha. I'm glad you thought the Chae/Jake/Brooke convo was funny…I liked it too just cuz it was normal, light hearted, and fun. Haha. I went through a stage when I was obsessed with fish too. Like really, they are kinda entertaining, swimming around and such. Haha. I'm glad you love Averie still! It's good to hear what you would like to see happen with Averie, and I will def. add in some of your suggestions! It is pretty upsetting for Brucas…its just so rough for both of them! I love hearing what you thought about their whole situation! Of course right when the brucas family gets comfortable its like BAM! Obstacle! Hahahaa. Sorry to get you all confused and not knowing what to think. I always have those days where I can't process anything let alone a story! Brucas will make it in the end, that's a promise! So thank you for your amazing review, I seriously love hearing from you! I can't wait to hear what you have to say, I hope you like this chapter! You are the best!

**Othfan326: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Yeaaah, finals are yucky. They make me wanna pucas. I know how that goes. I hope you did okay on them! I'm glad you like Chae and Jake, and you are sorta right about Brucas…I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you like this one too! Thanks for always reviewing!

**Onetreehillgirl066: **haha, I'm glad that line painted an interesting picture in your head. Don't worry, everything will end okay. Thanks for reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Cass (cheerandbrood323): **I did have a fun vacation! It was very nice to get away! Ave is fun now that she can do stuff! So you are pretty much out of school now! That is so exciting! Tell me when you post your new story so I can check it out. I don't read many but I will def. read yours! Okay, so that is hilarious about the Dr. Phil thing….I can't believe there are that many pregnant girls! Seriously, that is insane! That really is scandalous and epic all at the same time. Wow. So funny. Or sad maybe?? So hopefully Dr. Phil lands his helicopter ontop of your school. Talk about entertaining. Haha. Yay June! Thanks for always reviewing, I love them! I hope you like this chapter!

**Jem (flipflopgal): **haha, yeah, that obviously wasn't how brooke wanted luke to find out! I guess you'll just have to wait and see what happens though….I'm glad you liked the chapter though! I hope you like this one as well. I always love your reviews, so thank you!

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23): **Hey BIF! About time for a new chapter huh? Haha. Yeah, I think I was being a little lazy, but I finally got it out even though its like almost 2 in the morning. Anyways. Haha of course Luke found out, I tricked you! Ave is amazing, I agree. I think its funny when kids say no to everything. It gets me every time! I will probably talk to you soon! Miss you! Thanks for always reviewing and just being an amazing assistant haha. I hope you like this chapter!

**Natalie (iluvmedou): **hahaha you are too funny. I love your reviews. You really are a drama queen hahaha. Don't cry though, really its okay! Haha I love you! Don't be scared, really, this is me! I'm glad you liked the opening, and yay for Chake and Ave and Tree Hill..see there are some good things haha. Thanks for reviewing, I always love them! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas3Naley23: **Oh no is right! Don't worry, the Brucas love is still there! He does need to get out of that contract…its true. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see haha. I'm glad you thought the chapter was great anyways haha. Thanks for reviewing, I hope you like this chapter!

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas): **Hey haha. Your review was spazzy…I liked it haha. It was funny cuz I totally could picture you like stomping your feet as you wrote it, which is always exciting. Don't worry, everything will be fine. I bet you loved the end of this chapter. Hahha. I'm glad you like how everything is going down for the most part…besides the tearing apart of Brucas haha. No, they'll be fine in the end, I promise! So this is an early birthday present? I dunno, I'll update again before your birthday anyways! Whatever, I'm rambling. Thanks for always reviewing, you know I love it! I hope you like this chapter! Ps I think I'm dyslexic.

**Reina123: **Its good to know you liked the last chapter even though it was kinda upsetting for Brucas! I always love to hear what you think! Thanks for always reviewing, I hope you like this chatper!

**Steph (Team Davis-Scott): **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! And I'm glad you thought Lucas' reaction was reasonable! Of course he would be upset. My vacation was a lot of fun, thank you! Thank you for reviewing, I hope you like this chapter!

**Lydia (TutorGrrl): **I'm glad you liked the last chapter, even though it was kinda sad for Brucas. You are right, Tree Hill is an amazing opportunity for Brooke. She deserves it! I'm glad you like the idea of her going there. My vacation was very fun, sad to be home though haha, but it is good to get back to this story! Thank you for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!

**Brucasgirl42: **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! Thank you for reviewing, its great to hear what you have to say! I had fun on vacation, and am back now…so yay for an update! I hope you like this chapter!

**Chebelle: **Okay, so honestly, the whole over 900 reviews thing is like sooo shocking. Like its like unbelievable! So amazing though…I'm like awe-struck by it haha. Yeah, so I'm kinda nerdy, but its amazing haha. I really do love reading the reviews, you are amongst my favorite reviewers haha. The last chapter was kinda tense, I wont argue with you there! Hahah, I loved your rambling about all of it. You seriously crack me up. But you are right, they cant live without each other. Its just all a big mess isn't it! Hahaha, don't worry, it'll all work out in the end. Obviously. I love pilates..I hope you had fun. But I seriously love yogalates…it really is the best, I'm not gonna lie. I had the BEST yogalates teacher, she was amazing haha. Okay, so I wont ramble about that now. Thank you for your always amazing reviews, I love them! I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Whiters: **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter. And you are right, of course Lucas would be mad…anyone would in his situation! I would feel the same way too. They have been through a lot, but you trust me haha, so it'll be okay! I'm glad you are embracing the drama…better to embrace it than be in denial. Haha. I love your reviews, thank you for sending them! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Amy (Brucas2008): **I'm glad you liked the last chapter. You are right, calm before the storm..sorta. Haha. I guess you'll just have to wait and see. I'm so glad you are hooked on this story, that is like awesome! Sorry it took so long to update! Yeah…season 6...I'm a little nervous. Crossing my fingers for Brucas though. Brucas FTW!! Thank you, I am very excited about all the reviews! It's like too good to be true! Thank you for reviewing, I always love them! I hope you like this chapter.

**Brucas333: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! My vacation was really fun, its kinda sad to be back. Haha. Two really is such a fun age, they are naughty but so much fun! Haha. Thanks for reviewing, I hope you like this chapter!

**Tanya (tanya2byour21): **I'm glad you loved the last chapter! That is always good to know! Sorry I left you in suspense for so long, but I hope you like this chapter as well. Thanks for your reviewing, they are always so nice!

**Queen08: **It was good to get a review from you and great to know you are still loving the story! I'm glad you think each chapter is getting better, that really is good to know. Thank you for having faith in my writing, haha, it will all end up good in the end! That's pretty cool that we went out of town at the same time so that you didn't miss anything! I hope you had a good vacation! Thanks for the review, I hope you liked this chapter!

**IamCaroline: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! It's always great to hear what you have to say. It is pretty exciting now to see whats gonna happen! I feel almost like the story is just beginning haha. Weird since its on chapter 37 haha. I'm so glad you like Chae and Jake, they are like Brucas! Thank you for always reviewing, I love them! I hope you like this chapter!

**Christie (sweetchristie03): **It sounds like you had a fun vacation too! Aren't vacations the best? They are busy, but sooo much fun! I had a great time, I was kinda sad to come back…hence the long wait for the update haahaaha. I'm so glad you like Chae…that really is so good to hear. She really is like the voice of reason haha. I love reading your reviews, they pretty much are my thoughts exactly. So thank you for always leaving great reviews! I hope you like this chapter and I can't wait to see what you have to say about it!

**IchliebeBrucas: **This is kinda random, but ever since you told me what your name means I like love it haha. Just thought you should know. Anyways. I was totally laughing when you mentioned Brucas baby 3 hahaha. Good one! Seriously! That was funny. I'm glad you like the Chae/Averie relationship…I figured it just had to happen! I'm glad you can picture what Ave looks like, that's what I hope for haha, its so not weird! I'm glad you loved the last chapter, I hope you like this one too! Thank you for always reviewing!

**Brucas224: **I'm glad you got caught up with the last few chapters, and I'm even happier that you loved them! Of course there will be more Brucas and Averie! I'm glad you are happy about the Chae/Jake reunion! Thank you for the review, I hope you like this chapter!

**Brucas1992: **I am so glad that you are loving this story. That is great to hear! I was very excited to get a review from you, I hope to hear from you again! I'm glad you love the brucas moments! I hope you like this chapter. Thank you for reviewing!

**Albluvscbg: **I'm so glad to hear you made it through the whole thing! That is very exciting. I'm sure it did take you awhile, haahha, but I'm glad you loved it! That is very great to hear. I was very happy to get a review from you, I love having new reviewers. I hope you like this chapter, and thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you are liking the story.

**Storyteller247: **Thank you for your review! It was good to hear from you! I'm glad you love my story, and I will definitely go check yours out when I have a minute! I actually just started watching SPN, so I would love to read it. Thanks for the review once again. I hope you liked this chapter.


	38. I'm Moving On

**A/N: Here is the next chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you guys are amazing! Happy Birthday to Sydney...even though its only like ten minutes to 11 my time, its almost midnight your time so it pretty much is your birthday!! I hope you guys like this chapter, the story is going to start getting exciting! Enjoy!**

* * *

_He told me  
He'd wait here patiently but  
I wonder if he's kidding  
Well maybe he could be serious now _

**Chapter Thirty Eight- I'm Moving On**

"Are you really leaving?" Chae pouted, wrapping her arms tightly around Brooke's neck, _again_. Brooke nodded, her face buried in Chae's neck as she hugged her friend just as tight. "I'm not getting punk'd am I?" Chae asked curiously making Brooke laugh lightly.

"Yeah, you better be watching out, Ashton should be coming in _any _minute" Jake said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the two emotional girls.

"I really don't want you to leave" Chae frowned, pulling away from Brooke.

"I don't want to leave you" Brooke sulked, wiping at the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. She didn't think it would be _this _hard to leave.

Lucas walked into the house, Averie happily in one of his arms. "Are you ready to go? We just finished loading everything in the truck."

"Mommy sad" Averie frowned, her tiny lip poking out and her eyebrows furrowing.

"Mommy's okay" Lucas said reassuringly, watching as Brooke gave Averie a small smile. "We better go find Laela so we can take her in the car!" Lucas said animatedly, tickling Averie's tummy, causing the little girl to squirm and giggle.

"You should totally just come with us" Brooke said confidently, nodding her head. "Seriously, why don't you and Jake just move back to Tree Hill. Then you can bring Lucas with you and we'll all be together again" Brooke smiled, shrugging her shoulders as if it was a no brainer.

"I wish" Chae sighed. "If Jake wouldn't have just moved here" Chae groaned, narrowing her eyes at Jake. He just lifted his arms in defeat, shaking his head and leaving the room.

"I can't believe I'm actually leaving" Brooke sighed, sitting down on the couch with Chae. "It's gonna be bad enough without Lucas there, but I have to leave you too…Averie is gonna have a meltdown without her Sae to rescue her all the time" as Brooke spoke, her words started to get shaky again and her eyes started to well up with tears, again.

"I'm gonna miss my Sassy" Chae whined, leaning her head on Brooke's shoulder.

Lucas walked back into the living room, Averie running behind him while Laela followed her. "Brooke, we better get going. We have a long drive ahead of us and we want to get there before it gets dark."

Brooke nodded, wiping the tears off of her cheeks and hugging Chae quickly.

"I can't believe you guys are actually taking on a ten hour drive with Sassy" Chae said with a slight laugh.

"I know, tell me about it" Brooke said with wide eyes. They had decided to hire movers for all of Brooke and Averie's things, and the movers would drive the moving truck down to Tree Hill. But that still left Brooke's car, so they decided they would have to drive down as well. It was a long drive, especially with a dog and a two year old, but Brooke and Lucas were up to the challenge.

"Call us when you get there, okay?" Jake said, pulling Brooke into a hug. "You guys be safe, and take care of my Ave."

"We will" Brooke smiled, trying her hardest not to cry so that she wouldn't upset Averie who had no idea what was going on. "You guys need to come visit soon okay? Ave, come say bye to Jake and Chae."

"Bye-bye Sae" Averie said with a lazy wave and a wide grin. She giggled and squirmed when Jake scooped her up in his arms, and him and Chae both kissed her cheeks. "No Jay!" Averie giggled wiggling around and trying to get free from their tickles. When Jake put Averie down, she ran over to Laela who was laying on the ground and pounced on the dog, laughing when Laela started to bark at her.

Lucas, Brooke and an uninterested Averie said their final goodbyes to Jake and Chae. Lucas had been unusually quiet all day just because he knew soon it would be his turn to say goodbye. They put Averie in her car seat, putting a DVD in the player they had just installed in Brooke's Hybrid.

Lucas pulled out onto the busy New York seats, looking over at Brooke who was staring out the window blankly. He reached his hand over to her leg, squeezing it lightly. "You okay?" He asked when she looked over at him.

"Yeah" She smiled, resting her hand on top of his.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Brooke, I'm not stopping every thirty miles" Lucas said with wide eyes as he shook his head.

"But Luke" Brooke whined, "I _really _have to pee!"

Lucas groaned, putting the blinker on and pulling off of the freeway.

"Thanks" Brooke grinned, sounding very relieved as he pulled into a gas stations parking lot. "Be right back!" She sang as she stumbled out of the car, practically running into the small store.

Lucas shook his head. They were only two hours into the trip and had already stopped three times. He turned around in his seat, and breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw Averie still asleep. Her head was laying against the pillow that was placed on the side of her car seat above her shoulder. She had her pink blanket snuggled up by her face and was sucking on a yellow pacifier. Lucas couldn't believe that in a week he would have to leave his baby.

Brooke opened the passenger door, sliding in quickly. "Hey, I got a diet coke and I got you a mountain dew…you are so gonna need the energy" She smiled, thrusting a 44 oz drink at Lucas.

"No way" he said sternly, shaking his head. "You are not drinking a diet coke. Nope. No more bathroom breaks" He told her as he reached for the plastic cup she was holding onto.

"But I'm thirsty" Brooke pouted, holding the cup as far out of his reach as she could. "I'm _really _thirsty" She said again, this time poking out her bottom lip and giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

"Okay, fine" Lucas sighed, "But we are driving at least two hours before stopping again."

"Love you!" Brooke said, her frown disappearing quickly as a smile reappeared. She leaned over, kissing Lucas lightly on the lips.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Do you think the movers are gonna get there without us?" Brooke asked Lucas as they sat in a small fast food place.

"Most likely" Lucas sighed, "We still have like three hours."

"Mine chickey" Averie said with furrowed eyebrows as she pulled her chicken nuggets towards her and out of her dad's reach.

Averie was getting restless in the car so they decided to stop and get something to eat. It wasn't their normal dinner time, but it felt good to be out of the car anyways. Averie refused to sit in a highchair, instead standing up in the plastic booth next to Brooke.

"Nathan was going over there to help move things in anyways, so I'm sure he'll let the movers in" Brooke shrugged, poking around at the greasy food in front of her.

They finished eating and Lucas stood from the table, stretching his arms above his head. "Ready to get back on the road?"

Brooke nodded, standing up and slinging her purse over her shoulder. "I better go change Averie first, we'll meet you out in the car."

"Are you sure? I can do it" Lucas offered.

Brooke grabbed Averie's hand, "It's fine, I've got it taken care of" she smiled, walking with Averie to the bathroom towards the back of the small place. After she changed Averie who talked the whole time, Brooke held on to Averie's hand, leading her to the doors that led outside.

"No bye-bye" Averie cried, pulling her tiny hand out of Brooke's and stopping dead in her tracks, refusing to go outside.

"Come on baby, we're going to find your friend Max" Brooke said happily, crouching down in front of Averie who didn't look very happy. When Averie still wouldn't budge, Brooke picked her up, making the little girl start to full on cry.

"No bye-bye" Averie choked out between her tears while Brooke walked towards the car.

"I know sweetie" Brooke frowned, rubbing Averie's back. She felt horrible, she could tell that Averie was sick of being in the car. For the last seven hours Averie had been a real trooper, not giving her parents any problems in the car. But it was a long drive and Brooke felt bad putting the crying little girl back in her car seat.

"Is she okay?" Lucas asked, turning around in his seat as Brooke strapped Averie in.

"She's just sick of being in the car" Brooke told Lucas, she sat down in the spot next to Averie, "I think I'm just gonna ride back here with her" Brooke told Lucas as she held on to Averie's tiny hand.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Nathan walked out of the house as soon as he saw Brooke's pearly white Hybrid pull into the driveway. He waited as Brooke and Lucas both climbed out of the car.

"I didn't think you guys were ever going to get here" Nathan smirked, walking over to his friends and hugging Brooke and Lucas. "She's out" he laughed, looking in the backseat at Averie who was sleeping in her car seat.

"It was a long trip" Brooke said with a long sigh, bringing a hand up to her forehead and closing her eyes. Averie had cried for over an hour before finally falling asleep. It made driving even more stressful, and it made Brooke and Lucas feel horrible for putting their baby through the long drive.

"You guys go check out the house, we got everything moved in pretty quickly since it wasn't much" Nathan told them, "I'll get Ave."

"Thanks Nate" Lucas said, sounding relieved as he wrapped an arm around Brooke's shoulder.

They walked in silence up to the house. It was dark outside and the house looked different than they remembered. But they figured it might have something to do with being cramped into a car all day.

"We are definitely going furniture shopping tomorrow" Brooke said with a sigh, walking into the empty living room. She didn't have much furniture, she had left everything at Chae's apartment when she moved into Lucas' house since he had his own furniture. But she did have her and Averie's bedroom sets from when she lived with Chae so they would be fine for now.

"I think so" Lucas laughed, watching Brooke as she walked around the house tiredly.

"Do you want me to go put her in bed?" Nathan asked when he walked in the house behind Brooke and Lucas.

"Yeah, thanks man" Lucas said gratefully. He walked over to Brooke, slinking his arms around her middle from behind. "So, how does it feel to be in your new house?" He asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Honestly? It feels tiring" Brooke sighed, "There is just so much to do…painting, decorating, actually getting furniture…"

"We'll get it all done before I leave."

"I don't want to spend your week here getting this house put together" Brooke frowned, turning around in Lucas' arms so she was facing him.

He leaned down, kissing her slowly. When he pulled away she buried her face into his chest, closing her eyes.

"Well, I think she's down for the count" Nathan said happily, "She's getting so big."

"I can't wait to see Max, and baby Tessa" Brooke grinned. "How is she doing?"

Nathan shrugged, "She's a lot harder than Max was, but we're getting used to it. She wants to eat all the time and is up practically all night. But we're getting the hang of it. It's definitely a lot different juggling two kids instead of one."

"Is Max doing okay?" Lucas asked, rubbing his hands along Brooke's back.

"He's actually doing really good. We were worried about that, but he always wants to hold her or hug her, its pretty funny" Nathan said, smiling proudly.

"That's great Nate" Brooke said, happy for her friends. Haley had given birth to Tessa Brooklyn James only two weeks ago. Tessa came earlier than expected, and had to stay in the hospital for a week. But she was doing fine now, and got to go home with Haley and Nathan. Brooke couldn't wait to meet her new niece. "You should probably get home to them…"

"Thanks for all the help" Lucas told Nathan.

"Anytime. It's good to have you guys here" Nathan smiled.

Brooke and Lucas promised to call as soon as they woke up so that everyone could get together. They thanked Nathan again for all of his help and watched from the front door as he drove away from their new house.

"So," Lucas said with a wry smile, closing the door behind Nathan and turning to face Brooke.

"Yeah?" She half laughed, raising an eyebrow to Lucas' inquiring eyes.

"When you buy a new house, aren't you supposed to like _do it _in every room?" He asked playfully, his fingers grazing Brooke's hips.

"I think that's just a rumor" Brooke said with a smile and a shrug. She patted her hand against his chest and then walked away from him, purposely swaying her hips from side to side as she walked towards the stairs. Lucas stood still in his spot, more than a little surprised that Brooke had blew him off and then did the 'hip thing' that she knew drove him crazy. Brooke turned around, narrowing her eyebrows at Lucas, "Coming?"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

When Brooke woke up the next morning instead of being curled up against Lucas she had Averie's arm lazily laying across her chest. Averie was sprawled out in between her and Lucas, still sleeping soundly. The more Brooke woke up the more she remembered the night before.

Around 1 in the morning her and Lucas woke up to Averie crying and screaming frantically. They both rushed into the little girls bedroom, concerned because she had been sleeping through the night since she was 5 months old. When they opened the door to her bedroom, Averie had climbed out of her crib and was standing in the middle of the dark room, illuminated by a power puff girls nightlight. Her blanket was in a pile by her feet and she threw her monkey to the ground as soon as her parents entered the room. Averie stumbled as she ran towards her parents, being caught by Lucas' outreached arms. It had taken awhile to calm the little girl down, Brooke and Lucas hadn't realized how waking up in a strange place would frighten Averie. She had lived in the pink nursery in Lucas' house for as long as the little girl could remember, and her parents soon realized how waking up in a solid white room filled with boxes could scare the little girl.

Brooke gently lifted Averie's sprawled out arm from off of her, sitting up and placing the tiny arm gently on the bed. She stood quietly from the bed, making sure to leave Lucas and Averie sleeping peacefully as she tip-toed out of the quiet room.

Brooke couldn't help but smile as she walked around her new house. For starters, the closet that adjoined the master bedroom was _amazing_. It was huge, and a whole wall of the closet was specialized shelving just for shoes. She ran her fingers along the marble countertops in the kitchen, realizing actually how much space there was in that room. There were the most gorgeous mahogany cupboards, and even a breakfast island. She hadn't noticed how great the kitchen was before, considering her and Lucas had been a little distracted when looking at it the first time.

She was already thinking about decorating ideas when her phone started to ring. She couldn't figure out where her phone had even ended up when they arrived last night. The whole day yesterday was turning into kind of a blur anyways. She made her way into what would soon be the living room, once there was actually furniture in it, and found her brand new Dolce bag laying in the corner. By the time she found her phone it had of course stopped ringing. She happily dialed the number back and grinned widely when her best friend answered.

"_Did I wake you up?" Haley asked, cringing._

"Nope" Brooke smiled, "Just exploring my new house!"

"_Nathan said its pretty amazing" Haley grinned, her voice sounding a lot more tired than usual._

"I guess so" Brooke said, her eyes twinkling. "How are you?"

"_Tired" Haley said, forcing out a dry laugh. "But happy."_

"Good" Brooke smiled, "So, can we come over today? I'm dying to see you and Max and Tess."

"_You better come over" Haley said with a laugh._

"We probably will in a little while, Luke and Ave are still sleeping" Brooke explained, wandering around the large living room, stopping to peek out the blinds into her gorgeous front yard.

"_Okay, we'll just see you later then" Haley said with a yawn._

"See you soon Tutor-Mom" Brooke smiled, flipping the phone shut and closing the blinds.

Brooke exhaled deeply, her smile wide.

"Good morning Pretty Girl" Lucas said, walking into the living room behind Brooke, his hand lazily running along his newly buzz cut hair.

"Hey" Brooke grinned, turning around. She walked towards Lucas, smiling as he leaned down to kiss her. She pulled away, her grin still gracing her face. "So, we have so much to do today!"

"Mmm" Lucas smiled lazily, wrapping his hands tightly around Brooke's waist. "Do any of them include laying in that hammock in the backyard with your favorite boyfriend?"

"First of all, who said _you _are my favorite boyfriend" Brooke smirked, "And second of all, there is a hammock in the backyard!?" She practically screeched, squirming out of Lucas' grasp and hurrying towards the French doors in the kitchen that led to her backyard. How had she not of even thought to check out the back yard?

Lucas laughed at Brooke's excitement and began to follow her through the maze of the new house. He stopped by the stairs when he heard a door open.

"Daddy" Averie cried, hiccupping as she walked out of the bedroom, "Mommy."

Lucas looked up the staircase to see Averie walking out of the bedroom, holding a binky in her hand as she cried. The scared expression on her face made Lucas' heart break.

"Avie" Lucas called, walking up the stairs and watching as Averie's eyes widened just at the sigh of him. "Come here baby." He climbed the stairs two at a time, reaching his arms out for his crying little girl. She held onto his neck tightly, immediately calming down as Lucas ran his hand along her long brown hair.

"Mine Mommy" Averie said into Lucas' neck.

"Let's go find her" Lucas said comfortingly, walking down the stairs with Averie.

"Okay, so the backyard is amazing!" He heard Brooke's voice sounding from the other room, "Averie is going to have a blast back there" She said cheerfully, turning the corner out of the kitchen and almost running into Lucas and Averie. Brooke surveyed Lucas' brooding face and Averie's still wet cheeks. "Is she-"

"Momma" Averie said happily, smiling as soon as she saw her mom. "Mine yummys" Averie said with a knowing nod, reaching out for Brooke who happily took her.

"Mommy is hungry too" Brooke said with a nod, "We better find some breakfast."

"Brooke, there is like no food in this house" Lucas laughed, shaking his head. How had they overlooked that, especially with a two year old.

"Hmm" Brooke sighed, contemplating their choices as she looked between Lucas and Averie.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke, Lucas, and Averie sat happily in the small, but busy café. This had been Brooke's favorite place to eat growing up. It was owned by a resident of Tree Hill, and was actually a big hit in the small town. Brooke was thrilled to show Lucas the Tree Hill hotspot, and as the three sat in a small half-circle booth dressed in their pajamas, Brooke couldn't be happier.

"Okay, so this food is amazing" Lucas grinned, staring down at the large plate that was filled with breakfast foods.

"I told you" Brooke said casually, cutting up the smiley face pancake that they had ordered for Averie.

"Pan-a-ake!" Averie grinned, holding a spoon and fork in each hand, even though Brooke and Lucas knew she wouldn't use either of them. "Pan-a-ake!" She repeated again, bouncing on the squishy booth seat, causing her pig-tails to swish.

Lucas shoveled another bite of hash browns into his mouth, giving Brooke a pleased thumbs up as he chewed the food happily.

"Alright Sass" Brooke grinned, pushing the small plate in front of Averie, "There ya go."

Brooke started to eat her waffles, pausing to help Averie drink out of the tall glass of orange juice.

"Wow, there's the one and only Brooke Davis" Came a loud, deep voice from behind her. Brooke turned around, her mouth falling open as her eyes landed upon Chase Adams. "Surprised to see me?" He smiled, laughing as Brooke brought a hand to her face and quickly stood up.

"I didn't know you still lived here" Brooke gasped, throwing her arms around Chase as he hugged her. She stood back, actually registering that he wasn't alone. The guy he was standing with looked familiar, but she couldn't place him. "I thought you were living it up in L.A. or something?" Brooke asked, not noticing how confused Lucas was and choosing to ignore Chase's friend that was staring at her with a sort of smirk on his face. She really hoped the mystery guy wasn't some forgotten one night stand, now _that _could be embarrassing.

"I was, but I just moved back" Chae shrugged, "So what have you been up to? Word got around that you and Kade ended things awhile back…" Chase said slowly, hoping not to open any sore wounds for Brooke. He looked behind her and noticed a guy and tiny girl in the booth that Brooke had just been sitting at. He watched as the little girl, who happened to look exactly like Brooke, tipped her head from side to side while holding a spoon in one hand and a bite-sized piece of a pancake in the other. "It looks like we have a lot to catch up on" Chase said, nodding his head towards Lucas and Averie.

Brooke ran a hand through her hair, "Oh my god, yeah!" She stepped back towards the table, "This is my boyfriend Lucas, and our daughter Averie. Luke, this is my old friend from High School, Chase Adams."

"Its nice to meet you" Lucas said, standing from the table and reaching a hand out to shake Chase's.

"Oh yeah!" Chase smiled, pointing a finger towards Lucas, "I knew you looked familiar. You used to play for the Knicks right? I've seen your show on TV a few times too. Big fan."

"That'd be me" Lucas said modestly. "Wait, and you are our new neighbor right?" Lucas asked, looking around Chase and at Owen.

"That'd be me" Owen said, doing a weird salute thing with his hand.

Brooke nodded, so _that's _where she knew him from.

"Wait," Chase said with an unbelieving laugh, "So _you _are the hott girl with a boyfriend and a _supposed '_kid' who moved in next to Owen! He told me all about you. I guess I just didn't realize it was actually _you_."

Open mouth. Insert foot.

At Chase's words everyone became silent. Owen lowered his face, obviously a little embarrassed that his friend just outed his confession about Brooke, who was taken. Lucas' hands slowly moved around Brooke's waist protectively, while he kept trying to tell himself not to freak out. Brooke just stood, biting on her lip and having no clue what to even respond to that.

"Uht-oh Mommy" Averie said, her high pitched voice breaking the awkward silence. "Uht-oh spill!" She repeated, holding the large glass with both hands while half of the glasses contents stained Averie's pajamas and the rest of the orange juice dripped off of the table.

Brooke reacted quickly, climbing back into the booth and taking the now empty glass from Averie, actually glad for the excuse to leave the awkward conversation…or lack there of. Lucas climbed into the booth on the other side as well, grabbing paper towels and dabbing at Averie's now orange pajama shirt.

"Look's like you have a situation, we'll catch up later" Chase said nervously, "I know where you live" he said with a laugh.

"Are you kidding me?" Owen groaned as he dragged Chase away from the table.

"So at least we know what the neighbor thinks about you" Lucas puffed through gritted teeth while him and Brooke tried their hardest to clean up the orange juice mess.

"God Luke, it doesn't even matter" Brooke groaned, not in the mood for men's insecurities.

"Oh, but I think it does" Lucas said bitterly, "I mean, you are living next door to him, _alone_."

Brooke rolled her eyes, not even planning on getting into this argument. It's not like Lucas had a reason to worry anyways. Owen seemed like a nice guy, and its not like anything would happen with him anyways. Brooke wouldn't even think of it.

"Off" Averie pouted, pulling at the wet shirt. "_Ducky_ _off!_" She said again, frowning at the now wet ducks on her shirt, this time stomping her socked foot against the squishy booth.

Brooke dug around in her huge bag, locating the change of clothes that she had kept in there for Averie. She pulled out a tiny, purple, ruffled tank top and held it in one hand as she picked up Averie with the other. Sure it might look a little silly with Averie's white pajama pants that had yellow ducks on them, but it was better than the little girl throwing a full on tantrum.

"We'll be right back" Brooke said, relieved to get away from a worked up Lucas. At least this would give him a couple minutes to cool down.

When she returned to the table with a now happy and chattering Averie, Lucas was sitting at the booth, eating his breakfast again. Brooke noticed that he had cleaned up the spill and that a fresh glass of orange juice had been brought to her.

"Daddy, mine pan-a-ake" Averie told him, nodding her head as she walked along the booth until she was in front of her plate.

Brooke sat down next to Averie, sliding the glass of juice away from the small girl. She handed Averie her sippy cup, "Here Sass, this one is just for you."

"So Chase, who is he exactly?" Lucas asked, and by the look on Brooke's face he knew she was waiting for the question.

"He was just a friend in High School" Brooke shrugged. Really, that's all he was. Chase never cared about being popular in High School, and Brooke liked that about him. She had hung out with him a lot, even though Kade didn't like the guy at all. But Chase's carefree outlook on laugh intrigued Brooke, and they had become great friends. Nothing more.

"Just a friend?" Lucas asked, looking up at her from his plate.

Brooke reached behind Averie, her hand landing on Lucas' arm. "Yes Luke. Just a friend."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

By the time Brooke, Lucas and Averie pulled up to Nathan and Haley's house all awkwardness between the two had diminished. Lucas decided to drop the Chase/Owen thing, deciding that he didn't want to spend his week with Brooke in a bad mood. Brooke was happy about it, and they were soon back to their normal selves.

Before they went to Haley's house, they went home to get ready. Averie was sticky from the orange juice spill, and was in dire need of a bath. Brooke got Averie out of the backseat, smiling as she set her on the ground. She was dressed in a yellow sundress and her long hair was pulled into a ponytail. Her blue eyes sparkled, and her dimples shone through when she smiled.

"Mommy, pyay a swing" Averie said with a nod, looking up at her mom as she held her hand.

"Yeah, Max has a swing set it will be so much fun!" Brooke grinned excitedly, glad that the earlier mention of swings was still making the little girl happy. "And daddy will push you really high!"

"Brooke!" Haley screeched, opening the door and grinning as she watched Brooke, Lucas and Averie walk up the driveway.

Averie immediately clung to Brooke's leg, her shyness overtaking the excitement she had for the swing set. Lucas reached down for Averie, picking her up so that Brooke could go say hi to her friend.

Brooke reached her arms out for the pink bundle in Haley's arms. "Let me see her!" Brooke smiled down at the tiny baby in Haley's arms. "Oh my god she's so tiny! I think she's smaller than Averie was."

"How are you doing Haley?" Lucas asked while Averie peeked over to see the baby that Haley was holding.

"I'm doing good, how are you guys?"

"We're excited to see you!" Brooke grinned, "Where's Max? Ave, should we go find your friend Max?"

"Come in, he's in the kitchen" Haley told them, leading them through the house.

"Momma, more cheese" Max said with a nod as he watched his mom walk into the room. He sat in a booster seat up to the table, his cheeks no longer chubby like when he was a baby, and his blonde hair spikey. Brooke couldn't believe how big he was getting.

"Max, look who's here!" Haley grinned, a sleeping Tessa still in one arm. "Remember I told you Brooke and Lucas and Averie are coming!"

Max looked up at the visitors he had failed to notice before. He lifted a hand, waving it happily, "Hi dudes!"

Brooke and Lucas both looked at Haley and laughed while she just sighed, "Nathan loves to teach him new words" she said with a roll of her eyes.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

It didn't take long for Averie to be comfortable around Haley and her kids. When Nathan got off of work, him and Lucas decided to go over to the River Court to play basketball. Brooke and Haley sat in the backyard, watching Max and Averie play in the lawn. It was fun to watch their kids actually playing together now that they were older. Brooke couldn't get enough of baby Tessa. She reminded her so much of when Averie was a baby, and it was making her sad that Averie was growing up so quickly. But when Haley prodded, Brooke still said they obviously weren't ready for another baby anyways.

"So are you excited to be back in Tree Hill?" Haley asked, keeping her eyes on the two 2 year olds running around the backyard.

Brooke sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Kind of, I mean the new house is amazing, and its gonna be great to be so close to you. I'm excited to open the store, I know it will be really great. But I just, I don't know. I'm worried about Averie. I mean, I know she'll get used to all the changes, but its just going to be hard. Especially without Lucas here."

Haley reached her arm out, her hand rubbing Brooke's shoulder comfortingly. "I don't know how you do it Brooke."

Brooke looked over at Haley, narrowing her eyes at her friend. "Do what?"

"You run that business, you are opening a new store, you're a great mom and you are going to take it all on without Lucas." Haley said, shrugging her shoulders. "And thanks to Nathan's new coaching job I just get to stay home with my kids. I don't know how you do it."

Brooke shrugged, Tessa's tiny fingers wrapped around one of Brooke's. "I guess you just learn how to juggle it all. But that doesn't mean that I'm always doing great with everything. Sometimes Averie gets overlooked because of my job, and sometimes I don't have all the time I'd like for my work because I want to be with Ave. It scares me, all of it…I want everything to be perfect, but most of the time I'm lacking in at least one area. I'm scared as hell to be here, taking this all on by myself but I hope its going to be worth it."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas and Brooke had a lot of errands to run. After hanging out with Haley and her family for a couple hours, they put Averie down for a nap making Haley promise to call when she woke up. Their first stop was to check out Brooke's new store. They were doing renovations in the small building, so Brooke and Lucas tried to stay out of everyones way.

"So, what do you think?" Lucas asked, following Brooke as she walked around what would be her very first store.

"Well, it's definitely in a growing area of town, so that's good. I think after everything is done, it'll be good" She said, turning around and smiling at Lucas happily. "It's pretty crazy that I'm going to be actually selling _my _designs here."

Lucas wrapped his arms around Brooke's waist, leaning down and kissing her softly on the lips. "You know you are amazing, right?"

Brooke tipped her head to the side, smiling excitedly up at Lucas, "I try…"

_All you have to do  
Is never ever let go  
My feelings show_

**

* * *

**

A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter! Leave me a review and let me know what you thought. The story is going to definitely start moving along a lot faster as I've already told you! Thanks for all of your support! Oh, and I just started reading a Brucas fic on here called 'Surfaces' and its by Yaba, so if you are looking for a good Brucas story to read you should check it out!

**THANK YOU…**

**Tanya (tanya2byour21)- **Everyone wants Brooke to get pregnant again hahaha. I guess I'll have to think about it. JK I know whats going to happen already and I just cant tell! I'm glad you loved the new chapter, and I hope you like this one as well! Thanks for always reviewing. I love them!

**Jem (flipflopgal)- **I'm so glad that you were excited for an update! I'm happy to be back from holiday too! I'm glad you loved the last chapter, that is always great to hear! Averie is super cute huh! She is getting a lot more fun to write, that's for sure! Good ideas for keeping Brucas together hahah, you'll have to wait and see though! I hope you like this chapter! Thanks for always reviewing!

**Othfan326- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I was missing this story too actually! I'm glad you liked how Brucas worked things out throughout the chapter! Haha, I figured you'd like the house part haha. I hope you like this chapter! Thanks for always reviewing, I love hearing what you have to say.

**Jay (BrucasNaleyluvr)- **So wow, I havent gotten a review from you in forever! So this is pretty much exciting haha. You know I'm not considering a sequel. Haha. You would know how long the trip is. I actually had to research it cuz I did not know! I like owen haha. I was excited to bring him in! That's funny that Averie is like Lex! Lex is so cute! She is a funny kid. Well, anyways. Thanks for reviewing, it was really exciting to get on e from you! I'm going away for the weekend so I'll probably talk to you next week! I hope you liked this chapter! ILY!

**AmbroCoo- **Its so good to hear that you love this story! That makes me very happy! Thanks for your review, and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Dolcegrazia- **It is sad for Brucas, but you are right, it is good for Brooke because of the store! Hahaha I'm glad you liked the almost sex scene…so brucas huh. Owen..dun, dun, dun! You'll just have to wait and see haha. Thank you for always reviewing and I hope you like this chapter!

**Miralinda- **hahaha creepy owen. That was funny, although I'd go more like hott owen haha. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one as well! Thanks for the review!

**Brucas3Naley23- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Yeah, that would be pretty cool if lucas did have a great surprise like that wouldn't it! I'm glad that you liked the idea of Owen being added into the story! I think he's hott haha. Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Chasitybsp- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! And yes, the getting caught part was kinda funny ahhaa. I'm glad you liked that part, I really did too hehehe. Owen. Haha. Yes. We'll just have to see what happens! Thanks for always reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Dancefever0234- **I'm so glad you love reading this story! This chapter is even longer than the last one so you should like it a lot! Haha. Thank you so much for the review! I hope you like this chapter!

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE- **Wow, amazing chapter..that was quite the compliment, thank you! I'm glad you liked it! Haha, of course you liked the brucas buying a house part, I figured you would! Haha you are right, they are like the only couple that would do that. Its so brucas! Owen, scary right. We'll just have to see what happens! Thank you for always reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas1992- **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! Haha yes, I think you are right about Lucas having a problem with Brooke's new neighbor. Thank you for the review, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- **hahaha yeah, leaving them alone with peythoe and owen is freaky isn't it. You'll just have to wait and see what happens though hehee. Hahaha of course brucas would almost have sex in someone elses house haha. Really, only them. Thank you for always reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Reina123- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Thanks for always reviewing, I love to hear from you! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Onetreefan- **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! That totally makes my day haha. Owen is totally Brooke's neighbor…good one right? I actually like Owen, I was sad how they made his character turn out into an ass, cuz I thought he was really nice and hott. But anyways haha. Lucas has a TV job on like a sports show type thing… Thank you for always reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Yaba- **I'm glad you are liking how the story is moving along! Thank you for the very kind review! I hope you don't mind that I gave a shout out to your story in my authors note! I'm still on chapter 3, I havent had much time to read but I'm definitely excited to get caught up! I'm like hooked on it and I really just want to finish it haha. Anyways, thanks for the review! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas3- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! That is good to hear! It is good that Brucas worked through everything, but yeah, its kinda scary with Owen in the picture now! Thanks for the review, I hope you liked this chapter!

**NYGIRL09- **Haha, I'm glad you aren't complaining about Owen coming in the story and the drama he may bring. That is good to know! Thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter!

**Natalie (iluvmedou)- **I love your reviews, have I ever told you that?? Seriously, they always totally make me happy haha. I love grins so wide that can scare young children, those are my favorite kinds of smiles! I'm glad you are loving everything that is happening, that is so good to hear! I so can't tell you what I have in store haha…but it'll start getting good! I like Owen…we'll just have to wait and see what happens though! I love that you said 'what a star' about lucas, where are you from? Thanks for the amazing review! I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Chebelle- **I'm so glad you love this story, reading reviews like yours just makes me want to continue writing it! I'm glad you like the Brucas in this story! Supportive Luke is way better than cranky Luke..I agree. I'm glad that the chapters make you laugh, that is also good to hear! Hahaha, I'm glad you liked Averie putting the dog in the bath, I thought that was pretty funny too! And yes, Brucas going at it in the new house was definitely the highlight! I'm so glad you think that Owen is hott too haha, I have like the biggest crush on him! I can totally picture him mowing the lawn shirtless…that is a really good daydream right there! That would never ever hurt my feelings! I want front row seats to the hot Owen show! Hahaha I probably wouldn't be able to control myself with owen either to be honest. Its so good to hear that you can picture everything, that's like one of my goals, so its good to hear. I love Brucas shows. Bulgaria…that sounds amazing. You'll have to let me know how it is! I hope you have a good time on vacation! Okay, obviously I ramble…look how long this thank you is haha. Thank you for always leaving amazing reviews, I love them! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)- **hahah, I warned you about Owen! I sort of did it just to spite you. Haha, just kidding, its been planned for awhile now! There will be no Owen beating up! I'm so glad I shocked you with the Owen being added in! That's always exciting. You know you are excited for him. I'm not telling you if he'll bring trouble or not! Brucas will be together in the end, don't worry. I'm so glad that you loved the chapter anyways! Averie is def. getting a lot cuter, I agree! I knew you'd like the realtor walking in on Brucas almost having sex haha. You like the smut. Stop worrying, just embrace Owen. Brucas can get through everything, that's the right attitude! Yeah, I am dyslexic I think…no really I think I just type too fast for my own good and mess up words! Anyways! Happy Birthday! Thanks for the awesome review! I hope you have a great birthday and like this chapter!

**Amy (brucas2008)- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! That is always good to hear! Don't worry, I always come back haha. It was a long break though! I'm glad you love that I brought Owen into it haha. Its always good to hear that you love this story! Thank you for the awesome reviews, I hope you like this chapter!

**Katherine- **I'm glad that you feel better knowing that Brucas will at least be together in the end! I always look forward to reading your amazing reviews! It was so good to hear that you liked the last chapter! I'm glad you liked how Brucas worked out in the chapter. It's so true, both Brooke and Lucas have dilemmas that they are having to deal with, and I'm glad you noticed this. I'm glad you liked the Averie in this chapter even though she wasn't in it as much. I'm glad you liked the part with Averie coming into their room in the morning, and I'm glad you can picture it! And the dog bath part, haha, I'm glad you liked it. It was def. one of my favorite parts! House shopping! I'm glad that you liked that whole part! That was my other favorite part! Of course you liked the part with them getting it on in the kitchen of someone elses house haha. that's just so brucas! I love it! Owen..dun dun dun! I'm glad I shocked you with his appearance! Have you ever seen that deleted scene its on the last disc of season 2 and karen and brooke are crying and lucas walks in and is like 'whoa' haha. I just saw it for the first time today and I was seriously like laughing my head off! Its like the funniest thing ever! Anyways, enough rambling. Thank you for the amazing review, I loved it as always! I hope you like this chapter!

**Whiters- **It is good that Brucas are going to try the distance thing. I'm glad you like drama, because it may be coming your way haha. Owen does equal uh-oh hahah. I love your drama attitude, it totally cracks me up! Its awesome. Thanks for always reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Christie (sweetchristie03)- **haha yes, in my world Brucas are totally into each other! I'm glad you think its cute! Haha. I'm glad you enjoyed the part where they are looking at houses, that was def. my favorite part! They are crazy…but they are brucas so it makes sense haha. Thank you for always reviewing, its always great to hear what you have to say! I hope you liked this chapter!

**IchliebeBrucas- **I'm glad you were excited for an update! And yes, Averie is the cutest thing ever, probably just cuz she's a mix of brucas haha. You are right, Brucas can work anything out…that's the attitude to have! I hope Lucas called Brooke too…I'll seriously laugh my head off if he called peyton, that's for sure. Hahah sequel….I'm not thinking that idea is looking too good. But I have two other stories in progress right now so I might post one of those when this is over! We'll just have to wait and see haha. Thanks for always reviewing, I love them! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas224- **I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter. More of all those things coming your way! Thanks for the review, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23)- **Hey bif! I havent talked to you forever! I'm going out of town this weekend, but I'll be back and hopefully we'll get to talk next week! Its funny, I swear one of us is always out of town. I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Its gonna be exciting to see what happens from here! Thanks for always reviewing! You're the best! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas333- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter, especially the hot brucas make out session haha. Hmm, Owen. We'll just have to wait and see haha. Thanks for the review, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Lydia (TutorGrrl)- **I'm glad you finally got a chance to read the chapter, and I'm even happier that you really liked it! I agree, it is good that Lucas came around, and of course Haley is excited, haha! Thank you for the review! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Abluvscbg- **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! That is great to hear. The realtor walking in on them was pretty funny huh, haha, that was probably my favorite part. Only brucas. I'm glad you are excited to see what happens with Brucas living apart and Owen living next door. It will def. get interesting! I'm so glad you love this story, that like makes my day! Oh and I did get both of your reviews, ahha, so thank you for both of them! I hope you liked this chapter!


	39. Miss You In A Heartbeat

**A/N: Alright everyone! Here is the new chapter! It is a lot longer than usual, and it is mainly a filler chapter! Things are going to start moving a lot faster like I have already told you, so get ready for some excitement! The song in this chapter is called 'Never Saw Blue Like That' and is by Katie Reider. I'm getting excited with the direction the story is headed! I hope you all like this chapter, it's extra long so enjoy!**

**P.S. I'm not sure if all of you know, but Sophia has been nominated for a Teen Choice Award (Best Drama Actress), which is very exciting! She is up against big competition, and we all want our girl to win because if anyone deserves it, she does. You are allowed to vote one time each day, so if everyone could take the time to vote that would be amazing. I will put the website on my profile that you need to visit to vote! Thank you to Katherine for bringing this to my attention. Now lets help our girl win this award!!**

* * *

_And were we ever somewhere else_

_Who knows, it's hard to say_

_..._

_Across the sky_

_Around the world _

_And you've given me all you have and more _

_And no one else has ever shown me how _

_To see the world the way I see it now _

_Oh, I, I never saw blue like that_

**Chapter Thirty Nine- Miss You In A Heartbeat**

Lucas had been back in New York for three days now. He had been home for almost 82 hours, and everything seemed different. Every time he walked by Averie's bedroom, he opened the door because he knew that the two year old hated it when her bedroom door was closed. After opening the door, he remembered that she was in fact a ten hour drive away and he closed the door again. He was constantly filling the refrigerator with new water bottles, knowing that it drove Brooke crazy when she ran out of cold water. But every time he brought an arm-full of unopened bottles into the house from the garage, he only opened the fridge to find it already fully stocked.

As he got ready for work he didn't trip over any misplaced high heeled shoes, or have to change his shirt due to sticky fingers getting him dirty. It was weird, noticing all of these little things that seemed so mundane. He never thought he would miss the rushed mornings or the stress of trying to juggle his job while taking care of a two year old and making his girlfriend happy…but he definitely did miss just that.

"Lucas" Jake called through the house. He walked into the kitchen to find Lucas staring blankly out of the window that sat over the sink. "What the hell are you doing?"

Lucas jumped at his friends voice and turned around suddenly, "Did I miss something?" Lucas asked, raising a hand and running it over his barely existent hair.

"Yeah, apparently you did" Jake laughed, raising an eyebrow at his spacey friend.

Lucas squinted his eyes, suddenly nodding his head. "Right, the game tonight…I totally forgot."

Jake looked around the messy kitchen, "I think you've been forgetting a lot lately" he said, looking around at all of the scattered, messy dishes.

"Give me ten minutes" Lucas said, rushing out of the kitchen to get ready for his night working. He had to admit, it was pretty awesome when working considered going to sporting events and reporting about them the next day. As soon as he arrived back in New York, he told his bosses that he would be free to attend as many events as possible. He used to only go to important games so that he could spend time with Brooke and Averie, but now that they were gone, he figured he needed something to do just to pass the time.

After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, Lucas met Jake in the living room. He made sure his cell phone was charged and in his pocket just in case Brooke called while he was out.

"So, I'm thinking that I'm going to try and get out of that contract" Lucas said casually, shoving his hands in his jean pockets as he walked down the street with Jake.

"Missing them that much, huh?" Jake asked, already knowing the answer. "I mean its worth a try, but is that really the smart move to make for your career?"

Lucas shrugged, "Probably not the best career decision, but I'm sure there are other options I can pursue."

"You've been to Tree Hill, North Carolina right?" Jake said with a laugh, looking at Lucas disbelievingly. "I'm not so sure about job opportunities _there_."

"Nathan has a pretty good job" Lucas said casually, pulling out two rectangular tickets from his pocket as they walked through the crowds of people. He handed the tickets to the man standing next to the door and walked into the baseball stadium with Jake close behind. It wasn't everyday you got to go to a New York Yankees game.

"Yeah, he has a pretty decent job" Jake shrugged, "But it did take five years of coaching a high school basketball team before he was even considered for the coaching job at UNC, and I'm pretty sure the only reason he got that job was because he had an in with the previous coach."

Lucas thought about what Jake was saying, and it was true. Nathan and Haley had struggled job-wise, there obviously weren't a whole lot of opportunities in Tree Hill. Lucas knew that he had a good thing going for him in New York, and the longer he stuck with this job, the better chance he had with jobs in the future. But being away from Brooke and Averie was harder than he imagined.

Jake turned to Lucas as soon as they were situated in their plastic folding chairs, surrounded by strangers. "You know," Jake started, waiting for Lucas to actually look over and acknowledge that he was speaking. "Brooke has never forgiven herself for you leaving basketball for her."

Lucas shook his head, "I didn't just leave for _her_, I did it for _me _too…"

"Yeah, that's what I would claim too" Jake laughed, "I know that this whole distance thing is hard for you guys, but I'm not sure if you leaving your job is the right option. I know that your decision has nothing to do with me, but it has a lot to do with Brooke, you really should talk to her about all of this."

"You are right, this has nothing to do with you" Lucas snapped, focusing on the green baseball diamond.

Jake sighed loudly, he knew that he had probably overstepped his boundaries, but he didn't want Lucas to do anything stupid. Brooke was a stubborn girl, and Jake knew that firsthand, he really didn't want to see her upset over Lucas leaving another job because of her. He remembered when Lucas left basketball and Brooke confided in Jake how horrible it made her feel, and he didn't want that again.

Jake stood from his chair, knowing he needed to give Lucas a little breathing room. "I'm going to go find a hot dog stand…you want one?"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke rushed around the small store that was slowly being transformed into a fashionable boutique. She placed her hands on her hips, her heels tapping on the tiled ground as she walked around, observing the shelving that was being installed. She had left Averie with Haley for the day so that she could get some work done. She felt horrible leaving Averie there, Haley was already busy with her own two kids especially with Nathan working more. But Haley promised Brooke that they would be fine, and Brooke had no choice but to trust her.

"No, that's all wrong" Brooke said, shaking her head as she watched two men carry in a large glass case. "That's a little intimidating, who wants to look at jewelry through a glass case?"

"We're just bringing in what was ordered Ma'am" One of the men said regretfully.

Brooke nodded her head slowly, "I know you are" she smiled, "And you guys are doing a great job, but I just don't think that will be needed" she told him, motioning towards the huge case. "I understand if we can't get a refund on it."

"I think we can work something out" he told her. They lifted the case back up, taking it outside to the moving truck.

The store was coming together and Brooke was pleased. She couldn't wait until they could actually bring her clothes in and get them all arranged. It was only two weeks until the store opened, and Brooke didn't think there was a chance in hell that the store would be up and running by then. She knew there would be long days involved and it was worth it.

"How are things coming along here?" Trish asked, walking into the small store.

Brooke turned on her heels quickly, smiling widely as soon as she spotted Trish. She ran towards her, throwing her arms around Trish's neck. "Its going great" She grinned, pulling back and standing next to the lady who had become a close friend. They admired the store together and Brooke bit on her bottom lip, "What do you think?"

Trish nodded her approval, "I think its great Brooke" Trish walked around the store slowly, "We definitely have a lot of work to do. I have interviews set up for next week, I'm hoping we can find the perfect staff to help run this store. Luckily, we will have you here to look over it all."

"Its crazy isn't it? I really never expected this, I'm still pinching myself."

"Well Brooke Davis, this isn't a dream, it's really happening" Trish smiled proudly, resting a hand on Brooke's shoulder.

The rest of the afternoon ran smoothly. Brooke was happy that Trish was in town, and she was getting more comfortable with the idea of actually running a store. It was hard to believe that her little clothing line had skyrocketed and was now featured in magazines and actually being sold not only in Macy's and on a website, but in her very own store.

Brooke smiled tiredly as she walked up the driveway to Haley's house, not bothering to knock on the front door.

"How was the store?" Haley asked. She had Tessa placed expertly across her chest in a Baby Bjorn as she dried her hands on a small towel.

"It was great" Brooke smiled, "It's coming along pretty great."

"Well, you are just in time" Haley grinned, walking back towards the kitchen with Brooke following from behind. "We are just about ready for dinner, I made my famous macaroni and cheese."

"Mmm" Brooke sighed. "How was Ave?"

"She was perfect" Haley answered casually, "It was actually kind of nice, her and Max pretty much entertained each other all day. If anything having her here made my day a little bit easier."

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Haley, you can be honest with me."

"No I'm serious" Haley told her with wide eyes, being cut off by Averie and Max running into the kitchen.

"Mommy!" Averie grinned as soon as she spotted Brooke, her little bare feet tapping against the floor as she ran straight into Brooke's arms.

Brooke sighed, hugging Averie tight against her, "I missed you so much" Brooke said tiredly, running her fingers through Averie's long, silky hair. Brooke sat in a chair, placing Averie on her lap. "Did you have a fun day?"

"Pyayed on a syide" Averie grinned happily, her fingers tangling in the necklaces wrapped around Brooke's neck.

"You went down the slide?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrows in excitement.

"Biiiig syide" Averie said, widening her arms.

"Wow Sass, that sounds pretty fun" Brooke grinned, kissing Averie's forehead.

"Where Mackey go?" Averie asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I don't know where he went," Brooke sighed, pursing her lips together, "You better go find him." Brooke set Averie down on the ground, watching as Averie clumsily ran out of the kitchen.

"Luke called and talked to her for a couple minutes" Haley said, dishing the macaroni and cheese into bowls. "You should've seen her face when she heard his voice."

Brooke sighed, "Yeah, I think she really misses him."

Haley bit on her lip, carrying the bowls over to the table. "How are you doing?"

"Honestly?" She asked, squinting her eyebrows as Haley nodded. "It's hard. I mean, I know it will get easier, but it's the small things I miss ya know? Things I never really noticed before. Like every morning when I wake up, Lucas already has coffee ready. Or when Averie is out of diapers, he always seems to refill them before I notice. And its hard falling asleep without him there, its even harder for Averie. I just hope I made the right decision."

Haley sighed, placing her arm around Brooke's shoulders. "It'll get easier Brookie."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

By the time Lucas got home from the Yankees game it was nearly midnight. He was dead tired and lazily shrugged his clothes off before climbing into bed. As he laid in bed, he could tell he wouldn't be able to sleep. He reached for his phone, dialing Brooke's number even though he knew it was late. He hadn't talked to her since earlier this morning, and she was so rushed then that she couldn't talk for long. He missed hearing her voice, and he smiled when she answered on the first ring.

"_Luke" Brooke said sleepily into the phone as a smile slowly formed on her face._

"Hey baby, did I wake you?" He asked, sitting up in bed and resting against the headboard.

"_No" Brooke yawned, "Okay, maybe" she admitted after hearing Lucas laughing on the other end. "How was the game?" She asked, her voice tired and raspy, making Lucas miss her even more._

"It was good," Lucas said plainly, "How was the store?" He asked, hating the way their conversations seemed to go now. He hated the way that it felt like they were living two different lives, but they were and it was something he knew he had to get used to.

"_Great. It's really exciting Luke" Brooke smiled. _

"I'm proud of you Brooke" Lucas said honestly.

They were both silent, lost in their thoughts of wanting what they couldn't have.

"_I miss you" Brooke admitted, her voice quiet as she tried to hold in all of the emotions she was feeling._

Lucas closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. "I miss you too, Pretty Girl. God, I miss you too."

"_Luke?" Brooke asked, her voice shaking as she spoke._

"Yeah?"

"_Will you stay on the phone until I fall asleep?" She asked._

He couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or nervous to ask the question, but he immediately answered, "Of course," knowing he would like nothing more. He slowly lowered himself back into a laying position, pulling the blankets up around him. He listened as Brooke's breathing started to even out. "I love you Brooke."

"_Mmm" Brooke breathed, "I love you too" she said, her words barely audible._

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

It was Saturday, a week since Lucas had gone back to New York. Brooke rushed around her living room, cleaning up before Averie woke up. Her week had been hectic, and she vowed to spend the rest of her weekend locked in her house with her favorite two year old. After cleaning up the toys that littered the living room floor, Brooke sunk into the chocolate brown leather couch, taking a moment to breathe. After her and Lucas finished getting the new house set up, this room had quickly become Brooke's favorite. They had decided to decorate the living room in deep reds and chocolate browns with gold highlights, the result leaving the room feeling warm and welcoming.

Brooke was upset when Lucas told her he wasn't going to be able to come for a visit this weekend. They had originally planned spending weekends together, but Lucas had no choice but to travel with work on his days off.

"Momma" Averie pouted, rubbing at her eyes as she walked into the living room.

Brooke opened her eyes, opening her arms to the tiny girl. "Hey baby" Brooke smiled, watching as Averie sleepily raised her arms for Brooke to lift her up. Once the little girl was on her lap Averie snuggled her head into the crook of Brooke's neck. "Guess what Sweetie? I get to spend the whole day with you" Brooke smiled, rubbing her hand up and down Averie's back.

Averie sat up, pulling the binky out of her mouth and smiling at Brooke with wide eyes. "Pyay a baby?"

"Yup, we can play with baby dolls all day" Brooke grinned, standing from the couch and balancing Averie on her hip. "Let's go get you some breakfast and then maybe we can go outside."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

As soon as Lucas stepped off the plane he immediately turned his cell phone back on. He hated that he had to spend the weekend traveling across the country instead of his original plans of spending his days off with Brooke and Averie. But his boss was desperate and needed someone to fly to Washington for a big sporting event fair. He usually didn't report on things like this, but the week in sports had been slow and they needed someone to cover this story.

Lucas speed-dialed Brooke's cell phone, listening as the phone rang and rang. When her voicemail clicked on he closed the phone, shoving it back into his pocket. He knew that she was taking the day off, spending time with Averie after working all week, and he wasn't quite sure why she didn't answer.

He had pre-ordered a taxi, and was pleased to find it waiting for him outside of the airport.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Lucas asked the driver as they pulled up to the biggest, plainest building Lucas had ever seen. The parking lot was packed and there were people everywhere. It looked like a giant headache to Lucas. The taxi driver nodded, and Lucas paid him before climbing out.

As he walked through crowds of people and into the even more packed building, he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe he was here, looking at new sporting equipment when he could be with Brooke and Averie.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Okay, we are definitely getting one of these" Brooke grinned widely as her and Averie walked up to a display of small, plastic pools. "What do you think Ave? It's getting pretty hot outside."

"Yikes a fis" Averie nodded, pointing towards the blue plastic pool that was decorated in colorful swimming fish.

Brooke nodded, "Well, then we better get it. Just think, this little pool in our backyard comes with hours of fun and a new summer tan!"

Averie babbled back a response, most of it not making sense while Brooke pulled at the plastic pool, finally freeing it from the stack. She couldn't fit the pool in the shopping cart for the life of her, so she resorted to dragging it from behind her with one hand while using the free hand to push the cart.

When they got home from the store, Brooke unbuckled Averie from her car seat and then struggled to get the new, small swimming pool out of her backseat.

"Do you need some help with that?" Owen asked, walking towards Brooke's driveway.

Brooke stepped back, running a hand through her hair, "That would be great" She smiled, relieved.

Owen pulled the plastic pool out of the car effortlessly, "Where do you want it?"

Brooke looked over at Averie who was crouched down in the grass, plucking flowers out of the flower bed. "Let's take it around back" She told him, watching as Owen started around the side of the house with the pool. "Come on Sassy" Brooke said, reaching for Averie's hand and walking into the backyard.

Owen set the pool down on the grass, wiping his hands off on his faded jeans. "You know, the beach is only a five minute drive…"

Brooke rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hips, "What are you trying to say neighbor-boy? This swimming pool is perfect."

Owen laughed, shaking his head at the feisty brunette. "Perfect, huh?"

Brooke and Owen watched as Averie tried to figure out how to climb into the empty swimming pool. The pool only came up to Averie's waist, and Brooke was sure she couldn't even lay in it because it was so small. But it would be perfect for Averie.

"Momma" Averie yelled, stomping her foot in frustration as she tried to climb into the pool.

"See, its not that small, she can't even climb into it and that kid climbs out of her crib" Brooke said, sticking her tongue out at Owen.

"So, when is the pool party? I'm sure you are having one, you must be after making such an important purchase" Owen said smugly.

Brooke lifted Averie up, placing her in the empty pool and watching as she happily stomped around in circles.

"Funny." Brooke said, rolling her eyes at Owen, already growing annoyed by him.

"Hey, I never got a chance to tell you that I'm sorry" Owen said seriously, his joking tone erased from his voice.

"Sorry for what?" Brooke asked, keeping her eyes trained on Averie instead of her annoying neighbor.

"For what Chase said a couple weeks ago at the café" He clarified. Brooke waved her hand, dismissing it as if it were no big deal. "No really, I respect the fact you have a boyfriend, and even though I've barely seen him around here I won't try anything."

"Good to know" Brooke laughed, her arms folded across her chest. "He lives in New York, that's why he hasn't been around" she explained. She knew she didn't owe him an explanation, but for some reason she felt comfortable around him. Sure she found him annoying and condescending, but she was the same way.

"If he's in New York, then why are you here?" Owen asked, hoping that he wasn't prying.

Brooke shrugged, "It's a long story."

"I have time."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas walked around the sports expo, wishing more than anything he could get his hands on a few shots of vodka. No wonder nobody else would agree to come to this thing. He was so sick of trying out the newest golf club or the brand new must-have baseball glove. He really didn't give a shit. He couldn't even walk around, the place was so packed with people that he could barely move. If this was what the job was turning into, he was definitely going to find a way out of that contract.

"Holy hell" he heard a squeaky voice from behind. The voice was familiar, and Lucas turned around to see a small girl with strawberry blonde hair approaching him. "Lucas Scott, is that you?"

Lucas squinted his eyes, smiling at the girl. "Tiffany" he grinned, opening his arms and throwing them around his ex-girlfriend. "God, how many years has it been?"

Tiffany shrugged, "At least three, you know you suck at keeping in touch with people right?"

"What are you doing here? Do you live here now?" Lucas asked, ignoring Tiffany's last comment. He had dated the girl in college, and the two had gotten along great. She loved sports just as much as he did, and hadn't missed a single one of his college basketball games. After they graduated college and Lucas started playing for the Knicks, Tiffany and Lucas decided to go their separate ways. After all of these years Lucas was shocked to run into her here out of all places.

"The company I am working for has a booth here and I figured it would be fun to come" She shrugged, linking an arm through Lucas'. "But I'm bored and hungry. What do you say we get out of here and catch up?"

"That sounds great" Lucas smiled, happy to see an old friend.

After walking for a few minutes, Lucas and Tiffany stumbled upon a small bakery. They ordered a couple of sandwiches and sat at a small table.

"So, let me just say I was shocked as hell when I found out you resigned" Tiffany said bluntly, shaking her head as she picked all of the pickles off of her sandwich. "Why did you do that?"

"I guess you can say a lot has changed in my life" Lucas sighed, thinking of Brooke and Averie. He pushed his food around, "You never finished telling me how you ended up at that horrible sports expo."

"Well, I work for an advertising company out of New York, and they decided to set up a booth at the expo. There are going to be a lot of people there and we are hoping it will bring more business. That's pretty much it." Tiffany shrugged, acting like she was less than interested. "What have you been up to? I've really missed you."

"Yeah, I've missed you too" Lucas said honestly. He loved how comfortable he was with Tiffany. "I'm pretty much just focusing on the show right now. But do you want to hear something crazy?"

"Uh, yeah. You know I love gossip" Tiffany grinned excitedly, rubbing her hands together happily.

Lucas reached in his pocket, pulling out a wallet size picture of Averie. He set it on the table, pushing it across to Tiffany, "I guess I'll show you instead of tell you." Lucas always used to find it annoying when people with kids talked about them constantly, but now that he was a dad, he realized that it was something to be proud of.

Tiffany picked up the picture, looking at the adorable little girl. "I don't get it, who is she?" She asked, looking up at Lucas with furrowed eyebrows.

"That" Lucas smiled, motioning towards the picture, "is my daughter, Averie."

Tiffany dropped the picture, her eyes widening at Lucas. "Your _daughter_? Lucas Scott has a kid! I don't believe it…you never wanted kids…the only thing you could ever concentrate on was round, orange and filled with air."

"Everyone changes" Lucas shrugged, not able to control the proud smile on his face.

"Geez, I guess so" Tiffany said in disbelief, now noticing the piercing blue eyes that the tiny girl had. "We have a lot to catch up on buddy."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke and Owen sat in two lawn chairs, watching Averie and Laela run around the yard. Brooke had filled the small plastic pool with water and Averie was overjoyed. Brooke changed the tiny girl into a ruffled, polka-dotted one piece swimming suit and pulled her long hair into a messy bun and Averie had been playing hard ever since.

Averie ran over to Brooke, picking up one of her mom's flip flops and then running back over to the pool, throwing the shoe in.

"Mommy" Averie called, waving her arm in the air, "Soo's ina wata" she grinned, pointing in at the shoe as it moved around in the water.

Brooke laughed at Averie, watching as she ran away from the swimming pool, suddenly entertained by something else.

"So it sounds like you and Lucas have been through a lot."

Brooke had told Owen her and Lucas' story. It was weird how comfortable she had grown with her new neighbor. She felt like she could tell him anything, and it was weird seeing as she had been totally annoyed with him only a few hours ago.

"Me and Amanda went through all that long distance shit for a while too, I know how that goes" Owen said, turning to face Brooke with a raised eyebrow.

"Wait a second," Brooke said, holding up a finger, "Who is Amanda?"

Owen let out a long, deep sigh, "Just this girl."

Brooke was suddenly interested, she turned in the chair, facing Owen with a wide smile on her face. "_Just _a girl? How come I'm sensing there is a little more to the story?"

"It's really no big deal. It's done and its over" Owen shrugged, keeping his focus on Averie and Laela instead of the brunette who was staring straight at him.

Brooke leaned back into her chair, resting her head back and crossing her arms across her chest. "Fine" she huffed, causing Owen to laugh at her. She narrowed her eyes towards him, "I didn't care anyways."

"Mommy" Averie half screamed half cried, running over to Brooke. "Mine cold" she cried, her bottom lip poking out as she hugged her arms around her shivering body.

Brooke grabbed the towel next to her and wrapped it around the little girl, pulling Averie into her lap. The sun was starting to go down, and the water in the tiny pool was cooling down instead of heating up. Averie nuzzled her head into Brooke's chest, suddenly completely worn out from her day in the sun.

"Did you have fun in the water?" Brooke asked, hugging Averie against her to warm the little girl up.

Owen stood from the chair, stretching his arms above his head. "Well, I better get going. Work calls."

Brooke stood as well, "Thanks for helping out today" she told him as they walked towards the back door to her house.

"It was fun. If you guys need anything, you know where I live" He told her, flashing her his pearly white teeth.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas told Tiffany all about Brooke and Averie. Though he didn't feel the need to give his ex-girlfriend details about how him and Brooke got to where they were today. She seemed genuinely happy for him. They had been best friends in college, and their friendship soon grew into a relationship. They had always been extremely comfortable around each other, and it made their friendship easy and natural.

Lucas stood from the table, shoving his hands into his pockets, "I have a flight to catch, I better get going."

"I'm sure my boss is shitting a brick not knowing where I ran off to" Tiffany laughed, flipping her long hair behind her. "It was great seeing you Lucas."

Lucas smiled, hugging Tiffany quickly. "It was good to see you too Tiff. Call me when you get back to New York and we'll have to get together again."

Tiffany nodded, "For sure," she smiled. "I'd like that."

Tiffany and Lucas walked out of the small bakery and back down the street. Tiffany looked up at Lucas, "Hey, that girl sounds great. Try not to screw things up with her."

Lucas rolled his eyes at Tiffany, "Don't worry, I'm not planning on it. You'll have to meet Brooke sometime, I really think you two would get along."

Tiffany pursed her lips together and nodded, "Definitely. She sounds really sweet."

Lucas walked Tiffany back to the sports exposition and caught a cab for the airport. He was worn out from his busy day. He couldn't believe he was already on his way back to the airport to catch a red-eye flight back to New York. Tomorrow wasn't looking good either. It was Sunday, which meant they had their weekend show that was always cram-packed and busy. He also was hoping that he would get a chance to talk to the show's producer about the contract he had signed.

After Lucas checked in at the airport and made it through security, which had been a nightmare, he found an empty seat by his gate and tried to get comfortable.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

After Brooke and Averie came inside, they ate a simple and quick dinner. Brooke was determined to give Averie a bath even though the little girl was tired and resisting. Averie cried almost the whole time in the bathtub, but Brooke still wouldn't give up. After spending all day outside, the little girl was a mess.

"Momma, out" Averie cried, tipping her head back and splashing her little hands in the water.

"Just a second baby, let me get your towel" Brooke told her, reaching around her for the pink and purple hooded towel. Averie stood up and she wrapped the little girl in the towel, lifting her out of the tub. "Let's go find some jammies and get to bed."

Brooke laid Averie down on her changing table, putting a diaper on the little girl before smothering her in baby lotion.

"Where daddy go?" Averie asked through a half yawn, half pout.

Brooke set the bottle of lotion down on the changing table, watching as Averie rubbed her eyes tiredly. She hated when Averie asked this question, and she had been asking it a lot in the last week. Most of the time the question was out of pure curiosity, but other times it was asked with full on tears.

"We'll see daddy soon, kay baby?" Brooke told her, trying her hardest to smile at the little girl. Brooke put Averie's pajama's on and lifted her into her arms, cradling Averie's wet head on her shoulder. Brooke reached in Averie's crib for her pink blanket and pacifier before settling into the big, comfy rocking chair. She rocked the little girl, rubbing her back as she whimpered and cried softly. It didn't take long for Averie to fall asleep, and Brooke stood from the rocking chair slowly, making sure not to wake the sleeping girl up.

"Momma, no syeep" Averie cried once Brooke laid her into the crib. She reached her arms up for Brooke, her bottom lip starting to shake.

"Don't cry" Brooke soothed, quickly lifted Averie back into her arms as soon as her little lip started to tremble. Brooke ran her hands down Averie's back, relieved that she seemed to calm back down. "Do you want to come lay with mommy tonight?"

Averie sat up, her eyes heavy with sleep. "Big bed?"

Brooke kissed Averie's forehead, "Yeah, big bed" she smiled.

Brooke and Lucas had made it a point to make Averie sleep in her own bed since she was little. Even though it was hard at times, they knew that in the long run, it would be the best for them and their little girl. But the last week had been hard, and with all of the sudden changes Averie hadn't been sleeping well. If Averie didn't start the night off sleeping with Brooke, then she was usually sleeping in there by morning. Brooke swore that once everyone was used to all of the changes that she would make sure Averie was back in the habit of sleeping in her own bed.

Brooke settled into her bed next to Averie who was now sleeping soundly where Lucas should have been. She plugged her cell phone in to charge, and reached for her sketchbook. She was too wound up to go straight to sleep and took this as the perfect opportunity for some new sketches she had due for Macy's.

When her phone started to ring suddenly, she quickly reached for it, pressing the button on the side to silence it. After looking over to make sure Averie was still asleep beside her, she flipped the cell phone open.

"Hello" She said quietly, resting her sketchbook down on her legs.

"_Hey" Lucas smiled, happy to hear Brooke's voice._

"Luke!" Brooke grinned, happy to hear from her boyfriend. "Are you back in New York yet?"

"_Just waiting at the airport" he sighed, "How was your day off?"_

"It was pretty good" Brooke shrugged, leaning back into her pillows. "Me and Ave played outside mostly. We got one of those small plastic pools and she loved it."

"_Sounds like a blast, I wish I could've been there."_

"Me too" Brooke sighed, "How was that boring sports deal thingy?"

"_It was just that, boring."_

"Ave keeps asking where you are, I think she really misses you" Brooke frowned, looking over at her sleeping baby.

"_I miss her too. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be." He thought about telling Brooke about leaving his job, Jake did say that he should talk to her. But now just didn't seem like the right time, especially since he didn't even know if there was a chance he could get out of his contract. "I'll be there next weekend no matter what."_

"You have to be. Then you can be here for the store opening" Brooke smiled softly, "You _need _to be here for the opening."

"_I wouldn't miss it for the world" Lucas told her._

"So you know the neighbor, Owen?" Brooke asked, biting on her lip. Lucas mumbled a yeah, and she continued. "Well, he helped me with the pool today, and he was really nice, surprisingly."

"_So, did you like spend the day with him then?" Lucas asked, his voice changing from soft and calming to bitter and protective._

"Not really the day. He apologized about the comment Chase made the other day, I think he actually felt stupid" Brooke laughed, "I think you and him will get along."

"_I'm not so sure I like the idea of you hanging out with him."_

"Why?" Brooke asked defensively.

"_Because he's a guy Brooke, and we both know what he thinks about you…"_

"He's not like that Lucas. I'm pretty sure he's rooting for us to make it. And stop whining about it, I just wanted to tell you about my day." Brooke said, rolling her eyes. She should've realized that Lucas wouldn't be the first in line to welcome her friendship with Owen, but he didn't have to be such an ass about it either.

"_I just don't trust the guy."_

"You don't even know him, and anyways it doesn't matter. He's my neighbor and I have to get along with him" Brooke said, waving her hand and dismissing the subject. "I'm really tired, I should probably be getting to sleep." The tone of Lucas' voice was enough to make her want to get off the phone with him. She hated when he turned all crazy and jealous, and she didn't want to end up getting into a fight with him over something as dumb as her next door neighbor. It was better just to give Lucas the night to cool off and talk to him tomorrow.

"_Okay, sleep good. I'll talk to you later" Lucas said bitterly. _

"Love you" Brooke mumbled into the phone.

"_I love you too, goodnight."_

Brooke flipped the phone shut and set it on her nightstand. She buried her self in the covers next to Averie, then reached over and turned off the small lamp. As she lay in the dark she closed her eyes, wishing that when she opened them Lucas would be beside her. She hated it when her and Lucas ended a conversation like they had, especially since they were living in different states. But the distance was bound to cause tiny hiccups in their relationship especially when they were both on end. She just had to count down the days, knowing that in a week Lucas would be there and everything would be back to normal. If only for a few days.

_And some things are the way they are _

_And words just can't explain_

**

* * *

**

A/N: What did you think? Make sure and let me know in a review, you guys are after all the best reviewers ever! Don't forget to vote for Soph for the Teen Choice Award!!

**Thank You To:**

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas): **Wow! You are totally the numero uno reviewer! Way to go buddy! I knew it would happen one day. It's even better that it happened on your birthday! Hahaha why aren't you embracing Owen. Yup, Chase is here too. I bet you are loving me right about now! Haha. Owen is not sketchy. Shut your mouth haha. And he is not the creepy neighbor. Don't make me make you hate him more. Did that make sense? Whatever! Chae will be back soon, probably in the next chapter, so don't you worry! I'm glad you like the name Tessa, its one of my favorites! Oo, and Felix…now that right there is an idea. Why are you putting ideas in my head haha. I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you like this one, and if you don't then you can suck it. Haha. I love you. Thanks for always reviewing crazy.

**Cass (CheerandBrood323): **You are totally the second review, and I think its great that you were reviewing and reading so late at night. I'm a night owl too, so that's cool. I'm glad you loved this chapter, and I am gonna miss brucave too haha. You are too funny, ily. I hope you are having fun in Maine…I've never even been there and I swear you always go there. Haha. Thanks for the review, I'm gonna go see if you've posted your story!

**Whiters: **Drama sensors! I'm glad they are itching for more haha, that's awesome. I'm glad you like the way I am portraying Averie, it is always good to hear that a character is realistic. It's so good to know that you can feel all of the emotions they are feeling and everything, that is really awesome. Thank you for always taking the time to review, it means a lot. I hope you liked this chapter!

**Yaba: **I seriously love your story. I havent had much of a chance to read it yet, but I'm hoping to get caught up within the next week. I think about it all the time haha. I know what its like being in those ruts…it happens to me all the time. Its so frustrating! If you ever need to talk it out feel free to message me! I really am honored that you love my story seeing as I admire your writing so much! Haha, owen being the neighbor is kinda scary right? And I'm glad you think Averie is so adorable! I don't have a little sister, but I have been working with kids for like the past 3 years, mainly with 1-3 year olds so I feel like I know them pretty well haha. I'm glad you like the way Brooke and Lucas interact with her, and its great to hear that it is realistic. I'm glad that you think Averie is a good addition to the story, because I know what you mean when throwing a kid into the mix can mess things up. Thank you so much for the amazing review and all of the kind words. It is really amazing to hear it coming from you, so thank you! I hope you like this chapter!

**Sweetchristie03: **Its so good to hear you liked the last chapter, and are excited to see what is going to unfold in the future. I love reading and writing about Lucas' jealous side as well! It is so fun haha. Its true, you can't have a story without Naley and their spawn (that cracked me up btw haha). I would love to read your story! I am going to put it on my alert list right now because if I don't I will forget about it! When I get a chance I will definitely read and review! Thank you for always being such a dedicated reader and reviewer, you really are awesome! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Dolcegrazia: **I'm glad you think Ave and Max are so adorable…I think they are too haha. Thank you for always reviewing, and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Jem (flipflopgal): **Hey! I'm so glad you think Ave is so cute, haha. And yeah, it will definitely be hard for her and Brooke without Lucas around! I'm so glad you loved the last chapter, and I hope you like this one as well! It is always great to hear from you, thanks for always reviewing!

**Chasitybsp: **I'm so glad you liked the new chapter! I'm so glad you found the little slip of Chase's tongue funny, haha. It's true, a lot has happened between Brucas and it can only make them stronger! Ave is going to have a hard time, that's for sure! Poor little baby. I'm glad you are excited to see what the future will bring for our Brucas family. Thank you for always reviewing, they are greatly appreciated! I hope you like this chapter!

**Katherine: **For starters, you never let me down with your reviews. They are always more than amazing, and really…I just love them. I always look forward to your reviews, and they always totally cheer me up and make me want to write. Did you ever get a chance to read that chapter I sent you? I understand if you don't have time, I was just wondering. Anyways, yeah you need to watch that deleted scene if you have season 2 on dvd..its funny haha. I'm so glad you loved the last chapter, and I'm a little surprised it is one of your favorites haha. I'm sure you've said that a few times though just cuz you are awesome! But I totally understand your reasoning, it was all about Brucave, and they are the younger version of the classic all-American family. I love that. I'm glad you loved the brucas car scenes. Haha. They were fun to write. I kinda drug that chapter out just to write them, but I think it was totally worth it! I'm glad you liked the Brooke peeing every five seconds haha that is totally Brooke! Gah, I seriously love how you notice every little Averie detail. It totally like makes my day, you don't even know. Like her not wanting to be in the car and having all the problems with the changes and new house. I love that you notice it all. I'm glad you thought I portrayed the parent-child relationship beautifully…do you know how huge of a compliment that is? Seriously, thank you so much. I can't even tell you how much it meant to read that! I'm glad you liked the whole café part….you know I love a jealous Lucas too hahaha. And thank you for the heads up of Soph being nominated for a TCA…I added it in my A/N..which you probably already saw! We need to vote like crazy because you are right, her competition is tough and she deserves it more than anyone for being such an amazing actress. And I totally agree with you about the Chad being nominated as Lucas thing….I don't really care either hahaha, and Lucas was a douche this season so whatev. Haha. I'm glad we are on the same page with that :DAnyways, enough rambling. I looooved reading your review as usual. Seriously, you amaze me! Thanks for always leaving such great reviews! You are the beest. I hope you liked this chapter!

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23): **Hey bif! I'm pretty sure you like this story way too much. You are silly, one of these days you aren't gonna like a chapter hahaha. I know it. Just kidding, you are waaay too easy to please and love everything. I'm glad you liked this chapter and even all future chapters as well haha. I'll talk to you soon crazy girl!

**Brucas3Naley23: **You are definitely right, things are getting interesting. I'm glad you thought the part with Owen and Chase was funny, haha. Thank you for always reviewing, I love them. I hope you like this chapter!

**Onetreehillgirl066: **Of course I forgive you for not reviewing in a while. Its all okay since you are reviewing now! Hmmm, you'll just have to wait and see what happens though, I'm not giving anything away haha. It was good to hear from you! Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Jay (BrucasNaleyluvr): **Hey buddy! Another review from you, you are really on a roll haha. I love it. Yeah, my vacations are getting a little out of hand, but from now on they are going to be pretty much non-existent. I hope lex is feeling better, she probably is since its been so long since I've talked to you! Haha, good luck pushing me to do a sequel. We both know its not happening haha. I'm glad you like the name Tessa, and no there will be no rape haha. You are funny. Thanks for reviewing, you know I love them! I hope you like this chapter!!

**Reina123: **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! Its good to know that you are excited for all of the new changes and drama that are bound to come along with the new move. Thank you for always reviewing, and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Othfan326: **I'm so glad you loved the last chapter! That is always great to hear! It is true, all of the changes in Averies life are sure to affect Averie, and I'm glad you noticed that! You'll have to wait and see what happens on the kid front, but you are right…the first chapter does give you a glimpse of their life. We will still be seeing Chae and Jake from time to time, I think they should be making an appearance in the next chapter! Thank you for always leaving such amazing reviews, I love to read them! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Jen (courtneylovejason): **Hey! How are you? It's been awhile my friend. It was good to get a crazy review from you..they have been missed. Hahaha, owen craving brooke…that's one way to put it. I love owen too. And you know me, I love to be mean. especially to you haha. You cant make me give you a long thank you haha. Whatev! Thanks for reviewing though. Its been weird not having you drive me crazy constantly. I'm starting to miss it haha. I hope you are having fun and keeping busy. Talk to you soon? I hope you liked this chapter if you ever get a chance to read it!

**Tanya (tanya2byour21): **haha, chase does have a big mouth! I'm glad you found it entertaining haha. It is true, Ave is definitely having some issues with all of the changes, but that is expected! I'm glad you are excited to read more, that is a great thing to hear! Thank you for always reviewing. I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas1992: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter, that is always good to hear! I'm also very happy that you love this story! That is like the best compliment ever! It will definitely be interesting to see Lucas and Brooke apart…and after reading this chapter you get a little taste of that. I hope you liked this chapter! Thank you for the very kind review!

**NYGIRL09: **haha, I'm glad you thought the last chapter was hilarious with Chase being all dumb haha. I do that all the time too, and its definitely funnier when you can relate! Haha. I'm glad you like a jealous lucas, so do I! Thanks for the review, and I hope you liked this chapter too!

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE: **haha I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I'm glad you are still loving Brucas…that is my main priority haha. It is scary leaving Brooke alone with Owen though, because Owen is hott…at least I think so haha. And its true, even though Brucas love each other and are meant to be together, there will still be hard times. I'm glad you realize that! Thank you for always reviewing no matter what! I always look forward to your reviews! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucasgirl42: **Its always nice to get a review from you! I'm glad you liked this last chapter as well as the one before it, that is great to hear! I'm glad you like the way Lucas is looking out for Brooke throughout the whole house buying process! He is a champ! Thanks for the review, and I hope you liked this chapter!


	40. Falling In Love Is Hard On The Knees

**A/N: Okay everyone, here is the newest chapter. Can you believe it, we are already at chapter 40! That is insane! Since it is the fortieth chapter of this story, I figured it had to be a special one, so I made it extra long. I am actually rrreeeaaaally excited for this chapter, and so I hope you all like it, because I loved it! Also, this story hit 1,000 reviews! I am seriously sooo happy and excited I can't even tell you! It amazes me, I never expected this story to be so well received, and I can't even tell you how happy it makes me that you all have loved this story so much. So thank you to everyone who has reviewed, you really have made this story what it is, and I really am thankful to you all. So thank you, thank you! This chapter moves around a lot, and is pretty time-jumpy, so be prepared! The song in this chapter is one of my favorites, its by the ever amazing Aerosmith and is called 'Cryin'. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

_

* * *

_

It's down on me

_Yeah, I got to tell you something _

_It's been on my mind, girl I gotta say _

_We're partners in crime _

_You got that certain something _

_What you do to me takes my breath away _

**Chapter Forty- Falling In Love Is Hard On The Knees**

Brooke missed Lucas like crazy. She didn't know it was really possible to actually miss somebody that much. She didn't even miss her own parents as much as she missed him right now. She had dated Kade for years, and when he was living away from her for months she didn't even miss him this much. She felt like a complete idiot. It had only been two weeks since she had last seen Lucas, and he had turned her into mush. It kinda freaked her out, she was letting him have too much of her and there was no turning back now.

But it was all going to be okay because tomorrow was Saturday and Lucas was coming. The best part was that her store is opening on Monday and they are having a huge party on Sunday night to celebrate. It was like a double whammy, her store was opening which was more than exciting, and Lucas got to stay for a few extra days to be there for it.

She was surprised that her store was actually ready to be opened. There was so much to do when she arrived in Tree Hill three weeks ago. In the last two weeks she had worked harder than she figured she ever had. But when she left tonight, the store was ready. The clothes were placed expertly on tables, racks and shelves. There was a flat screen plasma TV planted on the wall, and the most amazing furniture she had ever seen dispersed around the small shop. Even the small things like the tiles in the floor and the light fixtures were exquisite. She had to admit, the store looked good. Damn good.

Brooke looked over at Averie who was sitting on the floor, her legs straight out in front of her. She was wearing a long, pink nightgown that almost covered her tiny painted toes. Her fingers were holding onto a small photo album tightly as it laid open across her lap.

When the small rectangular package came in the mail a few days ago, and Brooke explained to Averie that it was a present for her, and the little girl was thrilled. Brooke helped Averie open the brown box, and they pulled out a rectangular object wrapped in pink paper. Averie ripped through it, throwing shards of paper all around her in the process. She looked at her mom and smiled, her Aunt Chae had sent her a book. Averie loved books. Lucas had instilled that passion into the little girl long ago. But when Averie opened the book, she realized it wasn't just any book. The book was filled with pictures.

That night Brooke held Averie on her lap as they flipped through the pages of the photo album that Chae had sent. Chae had documented Averie's life through pictures, Brooke was almost sure that Chae had more pictures of her small family than she did. There were pictures of Brooke with a huge belly in the beginning, and Averie just looked at the pictures as if staring at an alien. But next came the baby pictures. Brooke wasn't sure if Averie understood when she said the baby was in fact her. But it didn't matter, Averie was happy to see her mommy and daddy in the pictures holding the baby. Averie grew up in the photo album, and she kicked her little legs excitedly when they got to the pictures to where she could actually recognize herself.

Ever since the photo album had come, Averie wouldn't let it out of her sight. She flipped through, talking animatedly about all of the people that she loved in the pictures. The little girl got extremely excited when there were pictures of her and her daddy, or of her and Chae or Jake. This just reminded Brooke of how much Averie missed the only life she knew.

"Mommy" Averie said, her voice questioning as she looked over at Brooke who was sitting next to her with a sketchbook propped up on her knees.

"Yeah baby?" Brooke asked, setting down the colored pencil she was holding and watching as Averie's tiny finger tapped on a picture in the photo album.

Averie squinted her eyes, just like Lucas, and looked from the picture to her mom. "Where daddy go?"

Brooke exhaled deeply, leaning over to see what picture Averie was looking at. It was a picture of Lucas holding Averie upside down while the little girl laughed infectiously. "Daddy is coming to see us tomorrow" Brooke told Averie in the happiest voice she could muster up. Which wasn't too hard considering she was thrilled with the thought of Lucas actually being there. "When you wake up, Daddy is gonna come see us."

Averie nodded, and Brooke wasn't sure if Averie realized that she would in fact see her dad soon because obviously the little girl didn't know the concept of time. But Averie seemed content with the answer and continued turning through the photo album.

"Mommy" Averie said again, only moments after Brooke had returned to her sketching. Brooke looked over at her daughter, the little girls blue eyes sparkling. "Where Sae go? Where Jay go?" She asked thoughtfully, looking from her mom to a picture of her with Chae and Jake at the aquarium.

Brooke closed her sketchbook, setting it down on the ground beside her. She reached her arms out, scooping Averie up and resting the tiny girl on her lap. "Chae and Jake are at their house, and they miss you a lot" Brooke said, flattening Averie's long brown hair with her hand before laying a kiss on top of the little girls head.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The flight to Tree Hill had been the longest flight of Lucas' life. He couldn't concentrate on anything throughout the whole flight. He tried reading the Sky Mall magazine, listen to his Ipod, and he even tried to take a nap. But it was all a lost cause, because the only thing he could focus on were the two girls waiting for him.

Lucas always swore that he would never turn into one of those mushy, gushy guys. He almost found guys like that humorous. The guys that would leave thoughtful messages on napkins in their girlfriends purses, or the guys that would whisper sweet nothings into their lovers ear. He figured that most guys said and did those things just because they were expected, and Lucas had dubbed guys that were genuine about it wussys. But then Lucas met Brooke, and meeting her was one thing. But falling in love with her was another. Being in love with Brooke had turned Lucas into everything he swore he wouldn't be, and it made him say and feel things that scared the hell out of him. But in a good way, of course.

Lucas had picked a seat towards the front of the airplane for a reason. And as the plane circled around the runway before landing, he was glad he had chosen this seat. He had purposely not brought anything on board with him, instead checking all of his luggage. He didn't want to have to gather anything up when getting off of the plane unless it could fit in his pocket.

Lucas was standing in his seat as soon as the seatbelt light turned off, and he was one of the first in the isle to get off of the plane. He quickly made his way through the long tunnel that led from the plane to the airport, and he was instantly calmed as he walked through the quiet, slow-paced Tree Hill airport.

By the time he reached security, a crowd had formed. He was too impatient to deal with so many people knowing that on the other side of the metal detector was the girl he was craving.

He ran his hand over his head before stuffing both hands in his pockets as he waited for the line in front of him to start moving. As he approached the security checkpoint, he emptied his pockets into one of the dark grey bins, and walked through the detectors, thankful that nothing had gone off.

He looked around the area where there were people reuniting and saying goodbye. His eyes scanned the crowd, landing on tearful goodbyes as well as tearful welcome homes. As dramatic as it seemed, the crowd seemed to part, and standing there in the middle of where all those people had been was Brooke. She was biting on her bottom lip, and her chocolate brown locks barely brushed her bare shoulders. Her fuchsia colored strapless top was loose fitting over her dark designer jeans that hugged her long legs perfectly. Looking at her now, Lucas felt like he hadn't left her to begin with.

As soon as she spotted him, her straight lined lips formed into a smile. She didn't waste time, and ran towards Lucas, her hands raised to her cheeks in excitement. He couldn't help but smile back, his toothy grin matching hers perfectly. He opened his arms, catching her as she jumped into them, locking her legs around his waist as her hands landed on his face.

Once she was in his arms, the world around them seemed to melt away. They stared at each other for mere seconds before their lips crashed together, meeting each other with matched force. They didn't care that they were practically devouring each others faces in the most public place possible. It didn't matter, it was just them, there, together. Lucas' grip on Brooke's waist tightened, refusing to let her feet fall back onto the ground. She didn't seem to mind, instead just pressed her body and mouth harder against his.

"God, I missed you" Lucas ushered against her lips.

She was smiling at him when they broke apart, "Mmm" she sighed, before kissing him once more, lighter this time. "I can tell" she smirked, her legs slowly releasing his waist until her feet were resting on the ground again.

Lucas' fingers still lingered on Brooke's waist, and the thought of _not _touching her made his stomach flop. "Where's Ave?" He asked, his fingers dancing along her waist and down to her hips.

Brooke smiled lightly, her eyelashes fluttering as his blue orbs stared into her intensely. "Haley has her, she figured we might need some alone time…"

Lucas dropped one arm to his side, his other arm sliding around the small of Brooke's back, "Then we better go get my bag and get out of here" he whispered, leaning his face down by her ear as he led her towards baggage claim.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

When Brooke and Lucas showed up at Haley's house, she finally understood why Brooke had been so adamant to leave Averie's car seat at her house. Brooke and Lucas stumbled into the house, both looking like they had been in a car wreck. Shirts were wrinkled, hair unkempt and shoes halfway on. Haley widened her eyes at Brooke, at 23 years old, would her friend really have sex in the backseat of a car?

"Haley, how are you?" Lucas said warmly, detaching himself from Brooke long enough to give Haley a one-armed hug.

"I'm good" Haley said, still a little shocked by her friends disheveled arrival. "Ave has been waiting impatiently for the last hour."

Before Haley finished her sentence, Lucas was back at Brooke's side, their hands instantly claiming each other. "Where is she?" Lucas asked, looking around the living room that seemed to be extremely quiet.

"They are playing outside, I just got Tessa to sleep and really don't need her waking up" Haley said, the look in her eyes telling the story of an extremely fussy infant and an overly tired mom.

"I'm gonna go get her" Lucas said, his voice bubbling over with excitement. He leaned down, kissing Brooke lightly on the lips before releasing her and walking towards the backdoor. He was grateful that Brooke was able to pick him up alone, even if it only meant crowded and uncomfortable sex in the back of her car, but he missed his little girl like crazy and couldn't wait to see her.

Haley and Brooke trailed behind Lucas, standing at the backdoor and watching as Averie looked up from the top of the slide to see her dad walking towards her. They watched Averie's tiny features light up in surprise, her mouth forming a wide grin as her eyes widened and sparkled in complete joy. She slid down the slide and into Lucas' awaiting arms. Lucas lifted Averie into his arms, throwing her above his head before catching her and hugging the small girl against him tightly.

"It's good to have him here" Haley said, reaching a hand over and rubbing it along Brooke's arm.

Brooke smiled, her eyes focused on Lucas and Averie, "Yeah, It is."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The rest of the weekend seemed to go by way too fast. Averie had been acting up more than usual and refused to let Brooke and especially Lucas out of her sight. So on Sunday night when they left her and Max with Haley's parents while they went to Brooke's store opening, she threw a full on temper tantrum. Brooke felt bad leaving Averie with Haley's parents, but they assured her that the little girl would be fine once they left.

When Brooke and Lucas arrived at her store for the opening, they were both overwhelmed by the sight of the place. There were actually photographers outside of the small, lit up store and people everywhere. Brooke didn't realize that it was going to be such a big deal, but Trish had definitely done her job publicity-wise.

Lucas smiled over at Brooke, kissing her lightly on the side of her head as someone opened the back door of the shiny black car they were in. After Lucas climbed out of the car, he reached his hand into the car to help Brooke out. As soon as Brooke climbed out of the car, flashes went off and the photographers went crazy. Brooke smiled as her and Lucas walked into the store, pausing to let pictures be taken. She took some by herself as well as some with Lucas and was surprised at the reaction she got. As soon as she was inside the store, Trish spotted her.

"This is amazing" Brooke gushed, not able to control the smile on her face as she saw _her _store filled with people.

"You did it, you should be proud" Trish smiled, hugging Brooke quickly.

Lucas was immediately at Brooke's side, his arm securely fashioned around her waist. "I know I'm proud" Lucas smiled, tightening his hold on Brooke.

"Well, it wasn't all me" Brooke sighed, rolling her eyes, "You've really helped a lot Trish."

Trish shook her head, smiling at Brooke, "You just go mingle with these people, and enjoy tonight because it is the beginning of your amazing career."

So Brooke did just that, she walked around her store and tried to talk to everyone. Champaign was flowing, and the cash register was ringing with every purchase. Lucas stood with Nathan, watching as Brooke expertly worked her way around the store, doing her best to make everyone feel comfortable.

"Wow, what a turn out" Owen said, walking up behind Brooke. He watched as she turned around, a smile growing on her face as soon as she saw him.

She immediately threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. "I didn't think you were gonna make it!" She smiled, stepping back. "I thought you had to work tonight?"

"I did," Owen shrugged. "Chase is around here somewhere too, I think he made a bee-line to that table covered in champagne and hott girls."

Brooke laughed, nodding her head expectantly, "That's Chase for ya."

"So, is that one of your creations?" Chase asked, suddenly appearing at Brooke's side and motioning to the strapless mini-dress she was wearing.

"It is actually" Brooke smiled proudly.

Chase pulled her into a hug, making her laugh, "Who would've thought, Brooke Davis actually making her dreams come true" He said with a sigh, releasing Brooke from his hold.

"Hey loser" Haley laughed, walking up beside them and shoving Chase in the arm.

"Look who's talking" Chase mumbled back through a smile, happy to see another old friend from High School.

"So this is pretty great" Haley grinned, looking around and admiring Brooke's store. "I can't believe my best friend is actually responsible for all of this. Just do me a favor and don't forget about the little people!"

Brooke laughed, throwing her arm around Haley's shoulder and pulling her friend into her side, "I don't think you'd let me forget you Hale's."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"So when are you going back?" Nathan asked as he and Lucas stood in the background of the busy store opening.

"Late tomorrow night, I wanted to be here for the first day the store is actually open" Lucas explained, keeping his eyes trained on Brooke. Her and Haley had been talking to Owen and Chase for awhile now, and as much as he didn't want it to, it was making him uneasy. "So were you friends with him in High School?"

Nathan followed Lucas' gaze over to Chase, who he assumed Lucas was talking about. "Chase Adams? Not really, we hung out in different crowds. I played basketball, he was always riding around on that stupid skateboard. But Brooke and Haley were friends with him. I guess he's a nice guy, I don't really know him." Nathan watched as Lucas slowly nodded and then turned his attention back to his wife and Brooke.

"What's up with that Owen guy" Lucas groaned, watching as Brooke and Owen started to laugh about something Owen had said.

Nathan just shrugged, "Who is he anyways?"

"Brooke's new neighbor" Lucas told him with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey baby! What are you two talking about?" Brooke asked as she slid up next to Lucas, wrapping her hands around his neck.

"Just about how amazing you are for opening this place" He smiled, leaning down and kissing Brooke softly on the lips.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The next week was extremely stressful. Trish and Lucas were both back in New York, leaving Brooke home by herself with Averie and her newly opened store. The store was doing well, but Brooke was having a few problems with a couple of the employees they had hired. One of the girls was really nice, and Brooke liked her a lot, but she seemed to have trouble showing up to work on time. Brooke really didn't want to have to fire the girl, and after having a small talk with her, Brooke was hoping she would start doing her job. It was hard for Brooke to play the boss role at her new store, she hated bossing people around and being an authorotive figure. Designing clothes was one thing, but actually looking over a store was another.

Averie was also having a rough week. She was extremely upset when Lucas left, and was definitely acting up a lot more. Brooke felt horrible that Averie missed her dad so much, and she also felt bad because she had to put a lot of her time and energy into the store which took away time from Averie. Haley had been great though, and Brooke was so glad her friend was being such a big help. She had offered to baby-sit Averie everyday, and it made Brooke feel a little better knowing that Averie was being taken care of by her best friend.

When Lucas had gotten home from his weekend in Tree Hill, he immediately set up a meeting with his bosses at the television show. He explained to them that his girlfriend and daughter had recently relocated to North Carolina, and his need to be with them through this change. They pretty much knew where Lucas was going with this, and interrupted him, asking if he wanted to know the status of the contract he had signed. His bosses went on to explain that if he were to quit the job, his contract would still be valid. They told him that they understood where he was coming from, but if he did leave before his contract was up, he would be sued for a lot more than he was willing to lose. Lucas was extremely disappointed with this news, and didn't even bother to share it with Brooke. He knew that he was going to have to stay in New York, away from his family and stuck in a binding contract.

Brooke was thrilled, and exhausted by the time the second week of having her store opened rolled around. She felt like she was slowly getting the hang of her store, staff, and new life. But everyday was a new adventure, and sometimes the days didn't go as planned. But she was up to the challenge, and ready for anything that was going to be thrown her way.

When the third week started, Brooke couldn't believe she was still breathing. Between spending time at the store and spending time with Averie, she felt like she never stopped going. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to balance her work with her home life, and she wished more than ever that Lucas could stay for longer than just weekends. The good thing was, Averie was starting to adjust to her new life, and was starting to act like her old self.

Lucas couldn't believe how much he was spending on plane tickets. He made it a priority to fly down to Tree Hill every weekend, not even bothering to check the price of the plane ticket. He was lucky that he made good money at his current job and had a lot of money saved up from his book and from when he played professional basketball. Frequent flyer miles also became a big part of his and Brooke's life.

The part that surprised Brooke and Lucas the most was how much they had grown as a couple throughout their separation. Being away from each other was either going to make them or break them, and that's what had scared them the most. But the separation had only made them stronger and the time they spent together more cherished.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke's store had been opened for exactly a month, and to celebrate Brooke decided to take the day off. It was a warm Monday in June, and Brooke was excited to spend the day with Averie.

"Mommy!" Averie screamed as she walked down the hallway and into Brooke's room. "Where my cup go? I's a drink."

Brooke looked up from the beach towel she was folding and shrugged her shoulders, "I have no idea Ave. Can you go find your swimsuit so we can go to the beach?"

"I wanta drink" Averie told Brooke, narrowing her eyes at her mom as she placed her hands on her hips.

Brooke tucked her hair behind her ears, "Sass, go get your swimming suit and I'll go find your cup. Mommy really wants to play with you at the beach today, but you gotta help me out."

Averie glared at Brooke before stomping towards her bedroom, and Brooke reminded herself that the two year old attitude would be gone eventually. Averie was two and a half now and was talking more and more each day. Brooke loved it, because the little girl's unique personality was shining through more each and every day. Averie was definitely a mix of Brooke and Lucas. She was stubborn, sassy and loud, but could also be extremely broody, quiet and calm.

"Mommy, we pyays in a sand, huh?" Averie asked as Brooke unstrapped Averie from her car seat.

"Yeah, we can make a big castle" Brooke grinned, setting Averie down on the ground. "Wait for me," Brooke instructed as she pulled the big beach bag out of the back seat.

As soon as she shut the car door, Averie ran into the sand, kicking her tiny flip flops off and leaving them for Brooke to pick up. Brooke loved coming to the beach, and she usually brought Averie there at least once a week. They always went to the same spot and lounged in their swimming suits while playing in the sand. Averie loved playing in the sun, and practically lived in her swimming suit. She had little tan lines, and her dark brown hair was even starting to get lighter from the sun.

Brooke bent down to pick up Averie's flip flops, and that's when she heard Averie squeal. She dropped her beach bag to the ground, and stood up quickly ready to run to her baby. From the sound of Averie's scream, Brooke's heart sank and she thought that Averie had to be hurt. But when she looked up, she was more than surprised to see Lucas out in the distance in front of her, holding on to an extremely excited Averie.

Brooke picked up the little flip flops, tossing them into her bag before practically running towards Lucas. He had just left on Saturday night, and she had no clue what he was doing here, but she was thrilled anyways.

Lucas set Averie down on the blanket he had laid out just in time to catch Brooke in his arms.

"What are you doing here?" Brooke asked, her arms tight around Lucas' neck.

Lucas kissed Brooke in response, his arms tight around her bare waist. "I came to celebrate, your store has been open for a month right?" He smirked, watching Brooke's face light up. "I brought ice cream cake."

"Ice ceam?" Averie asked, clapping her hands together. "Daddy, I wanta ice ceam!"

Lucas released Brooke from his grip, sitting down next to Averie on the blanket. He opened a cardboard box to reveal a chocolate covered ice cream cake.

Averie reached in the box, taking a small ball of cookie dough of the top of the cake, "Mine daddy!"

Brooke sat down next to Lucas, watching as Averie climbed onto his lap. "I can't believe you are here" She said, shaking her head, not able to control the smile on her face.

"Well," Lucas said plainly, smiling as he handed Brooke a fork, "believe it."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The next week as Brooke was getting ready to go into the store, her cell phone rang. It had been a stressful morning, and they were way behind schedule. Averie was running around in only a diaper and was refusing to get dressed, and Brooke couldn't find the phone that wouldn't stop ringing. Brooke threw the big make up brush down onto her bathroom counter and bit on her lip to stop herself from screaming.

Averie walked into the bathroom, Brooke's cell phone up to her ear as she talked into it animatedly, "Hayey, Mackey is pyay-a me?"

"Here honey, can I talk to Haley?" Brooke asked sweetly, crouching down in front of Averie. Averie rolled her eyes, handing the phone to Brooke willingly. "Hey Hale's," Brooke said tiredly into the phone.

"_Hey, Brooke, I'm so sorry but I'm not going to be able to watch Averie today. I think Max has an ear infection and I can't get a hold of Nathan and we're on our way to the doctor" Haley rambled, talking quickly and sounding very frustrated._

"It's fine" Brooke said calmly as she listened to Max crying in the background, "I'll figure something out. Call me when you find out what's wrong."

"_Okay. I'm so sorry Brooke…"_

"Its okay really, just get Max to the doctor and I'll talk to you later" Brooke sighed, "Bye Hale's."

Brooke flipped her phone shut and ran her fingers through her straight hair. She didn't know what she was going to do now, and it was days like these that she really wished Lucas was there to help her. She knew that she had no choice but to take Averie to the store with her. Averie had stayed at the store with her before, but only for a couple of hours and not a full day. She packed a bag full of snacks, and simple toys and books hoping that it would be enough to keep Averie entertained.

"Alright Sassy," Brooke called as she walked into Averie's bedroom, ignoring the fact that all of the new pull-ups she had bought were thrown around the pink room. "Come on sweetie, its time to get dressed. You get to go to the store with mommy today."

"No yike-a get dress" Averie said, scrunching her face and shaking her head as she held her baby doll by the feet.

"Come on," Brooke begged as she ruffled through Averie's crowded closet. She finally pulled out a flowered dress and held it out to Averie, "Look, you can wear this new pretty dress that daddy got you."

At the sound of her dad's name, Averie smiled widely, finally agreeing to get dressed. Brooke brushed Averie's hair quickly, pulling it into a ponytail with a big white bow. By the time they left the house, Brooke was already twenty minutes late. She held Averie in one arm as she rushed out of the house, flinching at the thought of scuffing up her brand new red heels.

"Where are you two off to in such a hurry" Owen asked from over the fence where he was working in his yard.

Brooke shook her head, trying to tell Owen she didn't have the time for a conversation. "I'm way late to work" She huffed as she opened the back seat to her car, throwing her bags inside. "And Haley can't baby-sit, so I have to take Ave with me and its been a rough morning" Brooke finished as she helped Averie into her car seat.

"Well," Owen said slowly as he walked into Brooke's yard, "I could watch her for you. I don't work till ten tonight, and you'll be back by then."

Brooke stood up from the car, her hair in her face, "Really?" She asked, feeling suddenly relieved.

"Hi Owey" Averie waved from the car, smiling widely at the neighbor that had let her help him in his yard last week.

Owen waved to Averie, "Yeah, I'm sure. She won't want to be stuck in that store all day anyways."

Brooke exhaled deeply, turning back around to face Averie. "Do you want to play with Owen while mommy goes to work?" She asked, biting on her lip and hoping that Averie would agree with the idea.

"Owey pyay a water?" Averie asked, remembering the last time Owen had come over and set up a sprinkler for her to play in.

"Definitely" Brooke grinned, getting Averie out of the car seat. Averie immediately ran towards Owen, lifting her arms up for him to pick her up. "You have all my numbers right? Call me if you need me, and if you need to drop her off at the store that's fine" Brooke told him as she started to unload bags of Averie's things out of her car. "There's an extra car seat in the garage if you go anywhere" She told him, as she pushed the button to open her garage door. "The doors unlocked," She said, motioning to the door in the garage that led to her house, she didn't know why, but she hardly ever parked in there.

"Brooke" Owen laughed, stopping her from talking, "You are rambling, just go. We'll be fine."

"Thanks" Brooke sighed, she leaned towards Owen, lifting a hand to Averie's cheek and kissing the little girl quickly. "You are a lifesaver. Bye baby, love you" She called to Averie as she hurried to the car.

Owen had become a great friend since Brooke had moved into her new house. He was always willing to help out with anything she needed, and even though they drove each other crazy half of the time, it was good to have him as a friend. He liked to come over and play with Averie from time to time, and the little girl seemed to love having him around.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Just as Brooke pulled into her driveway after a long day at the store her phone started to ring. She picked it up, and was more than happy to see that it was Lucas. She flipped the phone open and lifted it to her ear before it even had the chance to ring a second time.

"I've had the day from hell, I'm so glad its you" She said exasperatedly into the phone.

"_I'm sorry babe" Lucas laughed, "What's going on?"_

"Well, Max has an ear infection, so Haley couldn't watch Ave this morning and I was gonna have to take her to the store with me. And I just wished you were here so bad, because we were already having a hard morning and Ave just isn't all about listening. So as I went to leave Owen was outside, and thank god he offered to watch Ave for the day. But the store was crazy, that girl I was telling you about didn't show up for work, so we were one person short and there were a ton of customers. It was the worst day _ever_" Brooke frowned, taking a breath as she finished her rant.

"_Tomorrow will be better" Lucas promised. "I'm sorry you had a shitty day. Is there anything I can do?"_

"Besides be here? No I don't think so" Brooke sighed. She gathered up her things and got out of her car. "How was your day? Better than mine I hope."

"_It was pretty uneventful" Lucas shrugged, "I miss you and Ave though."_

Brooke walked into the house, and was happy to be greeted by the smell of something cooking. "We miss you too Broody."

"_Well, I have good news. Chae and Jake are going to be able to come there for the 4__th__ of July" Lucas said happily, knowing that this would most likely change Brooke's mood._

"Oh my god are you serious!" Brooke practically squealed, "I'm so excited, I can't even tell you how much I wish Chae was here!"

"_I know, she is pretty excited too" Lucas smiled._

"Hey, your home" Owen smiled, walking into the entryway of Brooke's house with a bouncy Averie in one arm. "Ave helped me make dinner."

"Thanks Owen" Brooke smiled, tipping her cell phone so the mouth piece was away from her, "You are the best." She returned her phone to its original position.

"Mommy, we make-a pizza!" Averie cheered, waving her hands around in the air.

"That's great baby" Brooke smiled to Averie, waiting until her and Owen retreated back into the kitchen. "Sorry, she's pretty excited" Brooke told Lucas.

"_It's okay, it sounds like you are busy. Do you want me to let you go?" Lucas asked, his happy tone diminishing as soon as he heard Owens voice in the background._

"No" Brooke frowned, "I want to talk to you. I miss you."

"_It sounds like Owen is there to keep you company" Lucas said bitterly._

"Its not like that and you know it Lucas" Brooke groaned. She could tell that Lucas didn't like Owen, and as far as she could tell, Lucas had no reason to not like him.

"_He's over there all the time Brooke, and we both know how he feels about you."_

"Luke, he said that a long time ago, and its not like that anymore. We are just friends, he knows that" Brooke sighed, not in the mood to argue with Lucas.

"_I'll just talk to you later," Lucas said, shaking his head. "Tell Ave, I said hi."_

"Luke-" Brooke started, before realizing that he had already hung up the phone.

Brooke tucked her phone in her purse and went up to her room to change into more comfortable clothes. She didn't even have the energy to baby Lucas and call him back, and if she wasn't so tired, she would've been angry that he hung up on her. But she missed Averie, and just wanted to see her little girl.

Averie's face lit up as she saw Brooke walk into the kitchen. She kicked her legs straight out in front of her from her spot on top of the counter, "Mommy, Owey maked yum-yums!"

"Did he? Were you a good helper?" Brooke asked, lifting Averie into her arms.

"Yeahs I gotsa cheese" She said with a nod, wrapping her tiny arms around Brooke's neck tightly.

"Was she good?" Brooke asked, sitting down on one of the barstools as Owen sliced the homemade pizza.

"She was great" Owen told Brooke, "She went to the home improvement store with me and helped me fix my sprinkler that wasn't working, and she is the best pizza-maker I know."

Averie grinned widely, proud as Owen spoke about her, and it made Brooke smile. She instantly forgot about her bad day, and her small argument with Lucas. Owen stayed for dinner, upon Brooke's request and then left to get ready for work. Brooke let Averie lay in her bed with her and watch a movie until the little girl fell asleep, snuggle against Brooke. As soon as Brooke was almost asleep, her phone started to ring.

"Hello" she answered through a yawn.

"_Sorry about earlier" Lucas said, his voice quiet and timid. "I was being stupid."_

"You were being an ass" Brooke corrected, leaning back into her pillow and closing her eyes softly.

_Lucas laughed, "Yeah, you're right. I just wanted to say sorry before you went to sleep, call me in the morning. I love you Brooke."_

"I love you too" Brooke smiled, hanging up the phone. She settled back in bed, happy that Lucas had called so that she would be able to sleep soundly.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke couldn't wait for the holiday weekend. Lucas was coming, and was bringing Chae and Jake with him. She was pretty sure it was going to be the best weekend of her life. She had been so stressed out lately, and with everything going on, it was going to be good to be surrounded by everyone she loves. Brooke let Averie help her set up the guest bedroom for Jake and Chae, and Averie was getting excited for her daddy to come home.

"Mommy!" Averie called. She was standing on the couch in the living room, looking out the front window and waiting for her dad to get there. "Mommy!" She screamed again, stumbling off of the couch as she ran to the front door, "Daddy's home!"

Brooke hurried out of the kitchen, "Did you see the car?" Brooke asked, reaching to unlock the front door that Averie was trying to open.

"I see Daddy in-a win-ow!" Averie grinned, pulling at the door and running outside as soon as it was opened. "Sae!" She yelled, as soon as she realized that her dad did in fact bring her Chae and Jake just like Brooke had promised.

Brooke followed Averie outside in time to see Chae lift the little girl into her arms. "Hey, we've been waiting for you guys all day" Brooke smiled, standing at the top of the driveway as Lucas and Jake unloaded all of their luggage.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas and Jake went to go meet Nathan at the River Court to play basketball, leaving Brooke, Chae and Averie some girl bonding time. They decided to head over to Brooke's store so Chae could see it, and then go to the mall.

"I love that you are here" Brooke smiled, making sure to keep her voice down since Averie was asleep in the backseat. "I haven't seen you in like _two _months."

"I know" Chae frowned, "It's been rough, that's for sure. I've missed my best friend."

"I've missed you too. How are things going with Jakey-boy?" Brooke asked, raising an eyebrow at Chae.

"Things are really good" Chae smiled, "It's so much different this time around, we've both grown up a lot I think. What about you and Lucas? He's been going crazy without you in New York. Jake loves it though, they go to games like at least once a week." She said, rolling her eyes just at the thought of it.

Brooke laughed, "Yeah, I'm sure you love that. It really sucks being away from him, but it gets easier just because we get used to it. But the thing is, it freaks me out that it gets easier, because I don't want to get used to him not being around, ya know? I miss him like crazy when he's not here, and Averie has a hard time with it too. But at least he can come on most weekends."

"Yeah, a couple weeks ago he actually tried to get out of that contract."

"Are you sure?" Brooke asked, confused seeing as this was the first time she'd heard about it.

"Did he not tell you? I guess it doesn't matter because he couldn't get out of it. But I don't know Brooke, I think being away from you is just making him want you more so maybe that's a good thing. I bet you guys have some wild and crazy weekends" Chae laughed, wiggling her eyebrows. Chae hadn't realized that Lucas didn't tell Brooke about trying to leave his job, and she felt bad for letting it slip but was relieved when Brooke seemed to ignore the slip up.

"Well, ya know" Brooke blushed, not able to help it. She pulled over into the only open parking spot on the street in front of her store, "We're here…are you ready for this?"

"More than ever" Chae laughed, "Especially after listening to that damn sewing machine at all hours of the night. But then again, the sewing machine noise was soon traded in for a screaming baby…god, I never caught a break with you as my roommate did I?"

Brooke waved her hand at Chae, sticking out her tongue, "Stop your complaining and get your ass outta the car" Brooke said with a smirk.

"Mommy" Averie yawned from the backseat, waking up as soon as the car stopped. "We at-a store?"

"Yup" Brooke said, getting out of the car and opening the backseat. "We are gonna show your Aunt Chae mommy's clothes. Do you think she's gonna like them?" Brooke asked, tickling Averie's tummy after she unbuckled her from the car seat.

"Yeeaaah" Averie shrieked through her giggles.

"So this is the place, huh?" Chae asked as they stood on the sidewalk in front of Brooke's store.

"This is it" Brooke smiled proudly, holding onto Averie's hand tightly as they went inside.

"Hey Brooke!" A girl with long, wavy brown hair said as soon as Brooke walked in the door. The girl bent down to Averie's level, "Hi Averie, I'm glad you came to visit!"

"Hi Millie" Brooke smiled, "This is my friend Chae, the one from New York that I told you about. And Chae, this is Millicent, she is pretty much a god-send."

"Its so good to meet you" Millicent grinned, reaching out a hand to shake Chae's. "I've heard all about you!"

"It's good to meet you too" Chae smiled, "I'm sorry you have to put up with Brooke though" Chae laughed, watching as the young girl smiled nervously.

"Just ignore her" Brooke said, rolling her eyes towards Chae. Millicent nodded nervously before turning around and getting back to work.

Chae turned around in a circle, examining the store that was full of Brooke's creations. "Okay, so this place is pretty much amazing! Tell me I get the good friend discount, or I might go broke in here!"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The next day was the 4th of July, and one of Brooke's favorite holidays. She loved lighting small fireworks and then watching the big fireworks at the beach. Fireworks had always amazed Brooke, ever since she was a little girl. She wasn't scared of them like Haley had been, instead she noticed the power and beauty that they held. Fireworks had always seemed so magical to Brooke, and for some reason they always empowered her. She had always lived for the 4th of July, just so she could watch the different colored fireworks explode in the sky.

Brooke couldn't wait to take Averie to see the fireworks. Last year Averie didn't really like them, the loud noises seemed to scare her. But now she was older, and Brooke was hoping she would have a different reaction this time around. Brooke had made Averie the cutest, red white and blue dress specially for today. The dress was made out of different patches, and the patches were all different. Some were striped and some were of stars, and in the end it made an adorable summer dress. Brooke tied two red bows in Averie's pigtails, and all of the preparing was getting Averie excited. Brooke wore a red strapless dress, that had an empire waist and was extremely comfortable. She decided it was perfect for her favorite holiday.

Before the sun started to set everyone met at the beach for a small barbeque. They had a bonfire on the beach and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Max and Averie were both running around, overly stimulated and excited.

"Hey, do you think Ave would want to try out a sparkler?" Jake asked after they had cleaned up all of the food mess. It was starting to get darker now, and it was almost time for the big fireworks to explode in the sky.

Brooke tipped her head backwards in attempt to see Lucas' face. They were sitting on the ground and she was in between his legs with her back resting against his chest. "I don't know" Brooke shrugged, "You can try it."

"I doubt she'll touch it" Lucas laughed, "Sparklers still freak me out."

"God Lucas, you are such a baby" Chae laughed, shaking her head.

"Are you guys sure you should let them play with fire? They aren't even three yet, I think that's pretty dangerous" Haley said nervously, biting on her lip as she bounced 4 month old Tessa on her hip.

"Come on Hale's, have some fun" Jake laughed, grabbing a box of sparklers and shaking two out.

"Max, come here Turbo" Nathan called, watching as Max stopped dead in his tracks from running to look over at his dad. "Look buddy, this is gonna be fun."

"Nathan! Don't you dare give my little boy one of those" Haley threatened.

"Haley, _seriously_?" Brooke said, her eyes wide.

"He probably won't touch it anyways" Lucas said plainly, "They are scary."

"Ave, look what Uncle Jake has for you" Chae said, running after Averie as the little girl laughed and ran away. Chae finally caught her and picked her up, bringing her back to the crowd.

"Alright Max," Nathan instructed, crouching down with Max in between his knees. "Hold on to the stick right here, and I'm gonna show you a magic trick."

"Magic? With a stick?" Max asked, confused as he held on tightly just like his dad instructed.

Nathan held onto the stick over Max's hands, "Alright, Jake, will you light this one?"

"Nathan, I'm serious" Haley whined, "I really don't want him to play with that."

Nathan ignored Haley while Jake lit the end of the sparkler, the sparkling fire causing Max to laugh excitedly. Averie covered her mouth with her hands, laughing as well as she watched Max with the sparkler.

"Mine, Sae" Averie grinned, reaching out for Max's sparkler, "Mine want one! Pease Jay! Pease!"

Jake reached for Averie, taking her out of Chae's arms. "Alright Avie, hold on to this."

Averie held on tightly, watching the stick intently. She smiled widely as Jake lit the end of the sparkler, holding on with her as it lit up.

"Wow, isn't that cool" Brooke laughed, watching as Averie kicked her legs and giggled as the sparkler burned.

"I can't believe she'll hold that" Lucas said, shaking his head.

"Well, she's not a big baby like her dad is" Chae laughed.

"Mommy, daddy, yook! Yook its yighted up!" Averie cheered, waving her hand around and watching the smoke move in the air. As soon as the fire got closer to her fingers, she dropped the sparkler into the sand, clapping as it burned out.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke and Lucas sat in the same spot on the beach, enjoying being there together. Everyone else had went down closer to the water to wait for the big firework show to start. They watched as Jake and Chae played with Averie and Max, and Nathan wrapped his arms around Haley.

Brooke turned around, sitting on her legs and facing Lucas. She looked up in the sky, "Look at all the stars…it's so pretty tonight."

"Yeah, it really is" Lucas agreed, instead of looking into the stars he stared at Brooke.

Brooke brought her gaze back to Lucas. "We're doing good, aren't we?"

Lucas wrapped his arms around Brooke's waist, pulling her towards him, "We're doing great" he said, bringing his lips closer to Brooke's as he spoke.

"Mmhmm" Brooke smiled, closing the distance between her and Lucas and letting her lips fall onto his. Lucas pulled her onto his lap so that she was straddling his legs, allowing their bodies to be pressed against each other. Brooke let her hands travel all over Lucas' buzzed head, deepening the kiss as he held onto her tighter.

"Get a room!" Jake shouted from across the beach, causing Brooke and Lucas to break apart.

"Maybe we should" Brooke laughed, turning around and giving Jake the finger. "I'm so glad you got to be here, you know this is like one of my favorite holidays."

"I know it is" Lucas smiled, leaning towards Brooke and kissing her quickly.

They both turned their attention to the sky when they heard the first tiny _boom_. They looked up and saw a red firework explode, followed by a white and a green.

"God, isn't it amazing" Brooke enthused, staring up at the sky in awe. She turned around in his lap again, leaning back into his chest as they watched the fireworks exploding.

Lucas turned his attention towards the show in the sky as well. He wrapped his arms tight around Brooke's waist, both of their heads turned up towards the sky.

"Brooke," Lucas said quietly, turning his attention back to her fully.

"Hmm?"

"Marry me" He said, his voice confident and sure as if it were any normal request. He had been thinking about it for awhile now, and it felt right.

Brooke turned around to face Lucas, all signs of previous excitement drained from her face. To say she was shocked would be an understatement. She wasn't expecting this at all. Lucas brought a hand up to her face, his fingers lightly brushing the stray hair out of her eyes as his lips turned upwards into a small smile. "Marry me" he repeated again, this time he couldn't help the smile that formed on his face.

Brooke's mouth dropped open, and she didn't know what to say. But then another firework _boomed_, and then another one right after and the sky was lit up perfectly. Without even thinking, she barely mumbled out "I'm pregnant," her voice shaky and barely audible, her and Lucas both sat together in shock.

**

* * *

**

A/N: Alright, what did you think?? Make sure and let me know in a review :D I hope everyone is happy with the way this chapter turned out, and I can't wait to hear what you have to say about it! Your reviews are the inspiration for this story, so thank you to everyone who reviews! Oh, and don't forget to vote for Sophia for the Teen Choice Award!!

**Thank You's**

**Jem (flipflopgal):** I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! Your reviews are always so kind! Averie is definitely a huge factor that will have to keep Brucas together no matter what! I hope you liked this chapter though, and I'm excited to hear what you have to say! Thank you for always reviewing, I always watch for your reviews, so thank you for always supporting this story!

**Reina123: **I'm glad you are excited for upcoming drama! That is good to know! Its also great that you love this story, you have been supporting it from the beginning and that means a lot! So thank you for always reviewing, they really do mean a lot! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Yana (yaba): **I'm glad you liked the last chapters! Its good to know that you like seeing Brooke and Lucas and their lives separate from each other. I think that's important!I hope you will be surprised by how everything unfolds as well! You could totally keep readers entertained for a long time haha, your story is like amazing! Thank you for the amazing reviews! I love reading what you have to say! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Onetreefan: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter, that is always great to hear! Hahaha yeah, the new characters in the story are definitely bound to stir up some trouble! I hope you liked this chapter, thank you for reviewing!

**Dolcegrazia: **I'll probably bring Tiffany back in upcoming chapters, so you'll just have to wait and see what happens with her! I'm glad you love all of the interaction between Brooke and Averie, hahaha, it is really fun to write so its good to know you enjoy it! Thank you for always reviewing, you have stuck with this story since the beginning, and that really means a lot so thank you! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Dancefever0234: **I'm so glad you like long chapters, then you must have really liked this one because I'm pretty sure its one of my longest chapters yet! It is so sad that Brucas have to be split up! Hahaha I don't think you sound like a nerd at all…brucas being apart is really saddening! Ahaha. Thanks for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Katherine: **Okay I finally got your email the second time you sent it! I've been busy so I havent had a chance to respond, but I will this weekend for sure! Thank you so much for all of your help! I'm bummed cuz I'm too old to vote for the TCA, but I think I'll just lie about it. I didn't realize I was so they caught me and I tried to lie and then they knew so I'm gonna have to try again hahaha. I want soph to win so you know who doesn't hahah. I'm glad we're on the same page! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! I don't have time to go into detail, but thank you for the very long detailed review! You know I love reading what you thought on the chapters, and I can always look forward to a completely honest review from you, so thank you! I can't wait to see what you think about this chapter, I really hope you liked it! Watch for an email from me! Thanks for all of your reviews and help with everything! You seriously are the best!

**Brucas1992: **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! That is always good to hear! Thank you for the very kind review, it made me totally happy! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Albluvsbg: **I'm glad you liked the last two chapters, that is great to hear! It is very relieving to know that Owen isn't after Brooke at the moment, it makes it easier to like him haha. I'm glad you liked the breakfast scene…hahaha, it was one of my favorites! Thanks for reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Othfan326: **It is sad to see Brucas apart! I agree! I'm glad you like that Lucas and Jake are friends, they are a great match for each other haha. I'm glad you like all of the Brooke/Averie scenes, they are some of my favorites to write! Its good to know that you like Owen being a friend to Brooke, she deserves to have some friends right! Thank you for the correction on the UNC coaching thing, yeah, I know that's how it is, and I was trying to decide if I'd go into detail, but I just didn't want to mess with it! You are like the only one that even noticed, so I don't think I'm gonna go into detail just because Naley aren't a big focus point! But thank you for the heads up! Thanks for the great review, and thanks for always reviewing! Its really awesome of you! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23): **I'm so glad you loved the last chapter, what a relief considering you never like anything I write. Hahaha. Funny. Owen is a friendly boy. I wouldn't mind being friendly with Owen hahaha. Well BIF…we need to stop causing trouble with face book….no, I think we should continue haha. I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for always reviewing, you are awesome!!

**Brucas3Naley23: **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter. It is pretty sad for Averie, hard times for Brucas family! Hahaha, yeah they do need to be back in one state! I'll think about it. Haha. Thanks for always reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Tanya (tanya2byour21): **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Its good to know you are excited to see what drama is going to happen! There is always drama with Brucas haha. Thanks for always reviewing, I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas333: **Haha, I'm glad you got to catch up on the last two chapers! Hahhaha, you are funny…..it is sad to see brucas apart even when they are together….I agree. Haha. Thanks for reviewing!

**Brucas224: **I'm glad you got to catch up on the last two chapters! Good to know that you are loving all of the characters and everything! Thanks for the review!

**Whiters: **Hahah, you are welcome for always reviewing your reviews…that sounds kinda silly haha. You crack me up, good guy or kind of good guy with a plan…I liked that! Its true, at least Lucas has Jake and Chae! Thanks for always reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Cass (CheerandBrood323): **I love NSYNC! Hahaha. That cabin sounds hilarious. I was like laughing my head off at that story! Your bedroom doesn't have a door and you get sick from the lake! Sounds like a blast hahaha. I hate camping! Its so boring and dirty. I feel your pain. Bugs are gross! I'm glad you liked the last chapter even though Owen is like making you nervous hahah. I hope you liked this chapter! Thank you for always leaving reviews and entertaining me haha.

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas): **Hey crazy eyes. Hahaha. I think its funny you read the last chapter with like no eyes. You are pretty amazing and dedicated and I love you! I'm jealous cuz you are going to warped tour. Anyways. Yeah, stupid, brucas are separated by distance. I'm glad it just hit you! I'm bringing the ex-girlfriend back just for you. I know you'll like it haha I aim to please. Hahaha. You need to calm down, those placebos made you all craaazy! No punching! You need to trust Owen. He is hott. I don't know, maybe I'll bring Rachel in for another appearance. Felix…hahaha. I love how you just put ideas in my head. You should knw better than that! Whatever! So I'm glad you liked the last chapter, even though you always do! And you better like this one! I can't wait to hear what you have to say about it! Thanks for always reviewing Syd! You are the best!

**Onetreehillgirl066: **Hahaha, don't worry! Everything will all work out in the end! Thanks for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**IamCaroline: **Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I'm glad you think Ave is cute, I love writing her! Good to know that you like Tiffany, I think you are the only one. She will probably be back in a couple chapters! Its okay that you haven't had a chance to review, that sounds like fun! I want to be a camp leader! Thank you for the review, and I'm glad you have enjoyed the last couple chapters! I hope you liked this one as well!

**Natalie (iluvmedou): **hahah, its fine that you didn't review the last chapter…I'm glad you liked it though anyways! I totally feel your pain with dumb internet! Mine has been acting so crazy lately, its so annoying! I'm glad you are happy with the speed of the story and that everything is moving along! Haahaha you seriously crack me up in your reviews, I love them! And no chasing with carving knives hhaha. I'm glad you liked the chapters, and I hope you liked this one too! Thanks for always leaving amazing, fun, reviews!

**Brucasgirl42: **I'm glad you liked the last chapter even though it was pretty much a filler. Its pretty awesome that you look forward to new chapters, because I enjoy writing them for you guys! Thanks for the review, I hope you liked this chapter!

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE: **It is sad to see Brucas so far away from each other! And you never know with Owen. Hahah, it is getting pretty complicated! I'm glad you think I'm doing good writing Averie, because sometimes I worry about it! Thanks for always reviewing, you are awesome! I hope you liked this chapter!

**TeamSophia: **You are finally caught up! That is awesome! At least now that you are caught up you won't have to like stay up all day or night reading anymore! Now you can get back to grading papers! Are you a teacher?? I'm so glad you like this story, that really is such a great compliment! Thank you for the kind review! It was very nice of you and I love hearing what you have to say! I hope you liked this chapter, I can't wait to hear what you thought!

**Amy (brucas2008): **I'm glad you are back haha. I was wondering where you went! I am just going on a few little vacations, nothing big and exciting though! That's exciting you are going to Europe! I'm not good at geography either! I hope you have fun on your vacation! I'm glad you liked the chapters, even though it was only a filler! I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for always reviewing!

**Hi Sara! You'll be caught up one of these days Haahaha.**


	41. In Love With A Girl

**A/N: Okay everyone, here is the new chapter! After this things are going to start moving extremely fast, just so you know. Thanks to everyone for being patient with me and sticking by this story! I appreciate you all! Thanks for taking the time to read and review! The song in this chapter is called 'Suddenly I See' by KT Tunstall. Enjoy!**

_

* * *

_

Her face is a map of the world

_Is a map of the world _

_You can see she's a beautiful girl _

_She's a beautiful girl _

_And everything around her is a silver pool of light _

_People who surround her feel the benefit of it _

_It makes you calm _

_She'll hold you captivated in her palm_

**Chapter Forty One- In Love With A Girl**

Brooke turned around, sitting on her knees and facing Lucas. She was guessing the expression on her face looked just as shocked as the one on his. What was she supposed to do now. She could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he thought about her confession, one that she didn't mean to let slip. But then again, he went all off road and asked that question. The two little words that were scaring her more than anything, well maybe not as much as the two words she had just muttered.

"Wh-what?" Brooke stuttered, shaking her head and waving her finger around, "Did you just ask me to _marry _you?"

"I think your little outburst was the unexpected one" Lucas barely got out, he reached his arm out in front of her linking his fingers through Brooke's, ignoring the pounding noise of the fireworks overhead. "Is it true Brooke?" He asked, his voice coming out in a whisper.

"Mommy, mommy" Averie yelled, running over to her parents and falling into Lucas' open lap. "Daddy, see a big fiyer-works?"

"Yeah, they are fun aren't they" Lucas said, not really paying attention to anything but Brooke's widened eyes. "Hey, how about you go back over there and tell Chae that Mommy likes the red ones."

"An-a geen ones?" Averie asked, squinting her eyes at Lucas. He nodded with a smile, kissing the top of her head before she ran back to where everyone else was gathered.

Lucas' lips slowly formed into a smile, and he pulled Brooke towards him, "Are we having another baby?" He grinned, the idea slowly settling in. He definitely liked the idea of having another child with Brooke. He wanted nothing more than to have a huge family with Brooke and for Averie to have a brother or sister.

"I took a test yesterday" Brooke said quietly, looking down at her hand that was entwined in Lucas'. "I missed my period, and I thought I was just stressed with the move and the store. But then I started getting worried cause it wasn't coming, so I took a test and it was positive" she explained, looking back up at Lucas. "God, Lucas I'm scared" she confessed, her voice shaking as she rubbed at her eyes in attempt to keep the tears from forming.

Without hesitation Lucas pulled Brooke into his arms, securing her tightly against him. He felt her head bury into his chest, her fingers gripping tightly to his shirt.

"It's going to be fine" Lucas promised, running a hand through her hair.

Brooke pulled away, narrowing her eyes as she looked up at him, "How is it going to be fine? We don't even live in the same damn state Lucas! I can't have a three year old _and _a newborn by myself!"

"Brooke," Lucas said, keeping his voice calm as he placed the palm of his hand against her cheek. "We'll work it out" he told her with a smile. "You aren't going to be alone this time, I'll be here."

"Yeah, cause that worked out so well for me the first time around" She said almost bitterly, rolling her eyes and looking over to the side.

"Okay, I deserved that" Lucas said, half laughing.

"We're missing the fireworks" Brooke mumbled, "Can we finish talking about this later?"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Okay, so those were pretty much amazing" Chae grinned as everyone walked back to where Brooke and Lucas were now standing, gathering all of their things together. Chae casually dropped an arm around Brooke's shoulders. "I'm so glad I came here, I've never seen fireworks like that."

"Yeah, I've never seen fireworks like that either" Brooke mumbled, "It was quite the show."

"I don't know how but both of my kids managed to fall asleep during all of that excitement" Haley laughed, holding a sleeping Tessa bundled up in her arms while Nathan held Max who was asleep on his shoulder.

"Not that I'm complaining" Nathan laughed.

"Are we almost ready to go?" Lucas asked impatiently, holding a folded up blanket in one arm and the big bag they had brought in the other.

"Yeah, let me just go get Ave from Jake" Brooke said, giving Lucas a tight lipped smile.

She walked down to the water where Jake was standing with Averie. He was holding her tiny hands in his as they walked along the sand, the waves crashing onto their feet. Every time the water washed over Averie's tiny bare feet, she would jump up and down, giggling as the cold water rushed over her then went away.

"Hey buddy" Brooke smiled, wrapping her arms around her tightly as she walked up behind Jake and Averie.

Jake turned around, "Hey, are you guys ready to go?"

"Mommy, mine toe's is brrrr" Averie said, hopping from foot to foot before letting go of Jake's hand and running to Brooke.

Brooke picked up Averie, the little girl immediately laying her head down on Brooke's shoulder as she wound her tiny fingers in her moms hair.

"God Ave, your toes _are _freezing" Brooke gasped, tightening her free hand around one of Averie's feet. "I think we're all ready to go" Brooke said to Jake, answering his previous question.

"Did you two have a good time?" Jake asked as they began to walk back up to the beach where they could see everyone standing around and talking.

Brooke shrugged and they kept walking. She stopped suddenly, looking up at Jake as she bit on her lip. "Hey, can we talk for a minute?" She asked, seeing the look on Jake's face quickly turn to concern.

"Yeah, what's up?" he asked, standing in front of Brooke so he was now facing her. He watched as she opened her mouth, but didn't say anything. "Are you okay Brooke?"

"Lucas kinda asked me to marry him" She blurted out, running her hand along Averie's back as she spoke.

"Brooke that's great" Jake smiled, confused by Brooke's lack of enthusiasm. He thought she would be thrilled. "We've all been waiting for it. I'm surprised it took this long."

"Well, yeah" Brooke mumbled, looking down at Averie who's eyes were slowly fluttering shut. She wanted to keep her gaze anywhere but in Jake's eyes. "But then I told him I'm pregnant." She said quietly, shrugging a shoulder as she pursed her lips together. She slowly raised her face until her eyes were staring into Jakes.

"Okay, wow" Jake smiled, running a hand through his hair before clumsily throwing his arms around Brooke, the sudden movement waking Averie up and making the tiny girl cry. He stepped back quickly, placing a hand on the tiny girls back. "Sorry" he cringed, watching as Brooke slowly started to bounce until Averie settled back down. "This is great Brooke. I'm so happy for you guys" he grinned, trying his hardest to ignore the unhappy look on Brooke's face. But he couldn't ignore it, "Hey," he sighed, placing a hand on her arm. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy about all of this?"

Brooke shrugged, "I don't know. I mean, I know I should be, and I kind of am. But then I start thinking about it and its all just so _screwed _up. It just brings back all of those feelings from when I was pregnant the first time. You know, all of the hurt and anger. I'm not gonna lie, it was amazing, but I was still so hurt and lost then and I just can't help it but those feelings keep resurfacing."

"Brooke, it was different that time. You and Luke were both in completely different situations then you are now" Jake said, trying to reassure her.

"How? This time he's not here, he's in New York. I'm in Tree Hill. We still aren't even together. The difference this time is I have a two year old and a brand new store."

"But Lucas is here for you, and you are _together_. You know he's not going to leave you again. And if I know him as well as I think I do, and I'm pretty sure I've got to know him pretty well over the last couple of years. I know that he has got to be thrilled by all of this" Jake said, throwing his arms out to the side in emphasis. When Brooke remained quiet he started again, "He loves you Brooke. He really does."

Brooke gave him a small smile, "Thanks Jake. I guess I just needed to hear that."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"I think she's finally out" Lucas said tiredly as he walked into Brooke's bedroom and climbed into the bed.

"Yeah, she was pretty worn out" Brooke shrugged, turning on her side so she was facing Lucas. Her eyes slowly started to flutter shut in the silence, and she moaned sleepily when she felt Lucas pull her body towards his.

"You know Brooke" Lucas said, moving a strand of hair out of her face. "I love you, and I meant what I said when I asked you to marry me." She opened her eyes, and then her mouth, but Lucas silenced her, lifting a finger to her lips. "No, don't say anything. Hold on a second." He released Brooke from his arms and turned around. He pulled the drawer open to the bedside table and pulled out a small, blue velvet box. He turned back to Brooke, both of them now sitting up in bed.

"Lucas, I just-" Brooke started, running her fingers through her hair.

"Brooke" He smiled softly, cutting her off before wrapping his fingers around hers. "I love you, and I can't imagine my life without you." He paused, bringing his other hand out from behind his back, holding out the small box. He let go of her hand, opening the box to reveal a diamond ring. "I want to wake up everyday and go to sleep every night knowing that you are mine forever. Will you marry me?"

Brooke was stunned. She bit on her bottom lip but she still couldn't help the smile that formed and the tears that gathered in her eyes. She took a deep breath, lifting a hand to her forehead as Lucas played with the fingers on her left hand. "I…yeah…yeah I'll marry you!" She squealed, watching as Lucas slid the perfect ring onto her fingers before lunging towards him, nearly knocking him off of the bed as she pressed her lips hard against his.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"It's so shiny" Brooke grinned, waving her hand in front of her and watching as the diamond sparkled.

"Mmm" Lucas sighed, pulling Brooke tighter against his body, "It looks good on you."

Brooke smiled and nodded, pulling the sheets around her as she turned, pressing her naked body harder against Lucas'. "You did good. How did you know what I would like? I mean it had to be kind of intimidating, picking it out for a top of the line fashion designer and all" Brooke smirked.

"Well" Lucas said, wrapping his arms around her, "I knew it had to be big…unique…and expensive."

"You know me well Lucas Scott" Brooke smiled, her smile staying on her lips as Lucas' landed on them.

Lucas pulled away from her, his hand traveling down to her bare belly. He ran his fingers along the smooth skin, "I'm gonna be here for this whole thing, and I can't wait. I feel like I lost out on so much not being with you while you were pregnant with Ave, and I'm not going to lose out again."

"Good" Brooke said plainly, biting on her lip as Lucas looked into her eyes. "Because I really can't do this alone again" She said, her voice small and unsure.

Lucas frowned, "I know I hurt you before, but I'm not going to again. I love you Brooke, so much."

Brooke nodded, bringing her hand to the back of his head and pulling him towards her.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Alright Sass, come on, you gotta see what mommy got you today" Brooke said excitedly.

"I gots me a pyize?" Averie asked in her high pitched, squeaky voice, intrigued as she followed her mom into her bedroom.

"You better believe I got you a prize" Brooke grinned. She lifted Averie up, sitting the tiny girl on her changing table. She reached down, pulling a brown bag up and setting it next to Averie.

"I see's it now Mommy?" Averie asked, her tiny fingers curling around the top of the brown bag as she tried to look in.

"I'll show you" Brooke said, reaching in the bag. "You know how your cousin Max has big boy underwear? Well, your mommy is the best and got you some big girl panties" Brooke said cheerfully, raising her eyebrows as she pulled out a package of little girl underwear.

Averie reached for them, looking at them skeptically. "I don't yikes 'em. I not want it Mommy" She said, scrunching her tiny face and pushing the package back towards Brooke.

"But Avie, they have princesses on them!" Brooke whined, reaching into the bag and pulling out another package. "And look, these one's have ponies. And _these _ones have Elmo. You _love _Elmo."

Averie pushed at all the different packages, "I not want it" she said stubbornly.

"God you really are my kid aren't you" Brooke sighed. " But baby, you are two and a half, and I'm really sick of changing diapers. I think its about time you use the potty. And look what else I got," Brooke said with a wide grin, reaching into the bag. "it's a potty chair. It's little just for you!" She grinned, holding up a tiny, pink potty seat that rested on top of the normal toilet. "And I even got you a stool!"

"Momma, I yike pu-yups" Averie said, raising her tiny eyebrows at Brooke.

"I know you like your pull ups, but you want to be a big girl right?" Brooke asked hopefully, biting on her bottom lip as Averie examined the potty chair.

Averie looked as if she was going to consider it, and instead reached for the binky on the table. "No, I's you baby" She grinned, before putting the binky in her mouth and reaching for her mom to hold her.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"This potty training thing is a nightmare" Brooke groaned into the phone, leaning back into the couch after she finished putting Averie to sleep.

"_Oh the problems we face" Chae laughed, "But I don't blame you. Two kids in diapers? That sounds like major hell."_

"Two kids?"

"_Jake told me, and I can't believe you didn't! God Brooke, you are having another baby, and who gets more excited over Brucas babies than moi!"_

Brooke laughed, "Sorry, I haven't really told anyone yet-"

"_Except my boyfriend and your soon-to-be husband" Chae pointed out, cutting Brooke off._

"Well yeah," Brooke laughed, "But at least I told you about the getting married part."

"_I guess, not that you could've hidden the rock on your finger anyways."_

"He did do a good job" Brooke smiled, waving her hand out in front of her and admiring the ring again. The other line started to ring and Brooke looked at the screen, "Hey, hold on, Luke is calling."

"_Just call me back, I think I would feel kind of awkward waiting on the other line while you two talk dirty" Chae smirked._

"Whatever, talk to you later buddy" Brooke said rolling her eyes. She pressed a button, switching to the other line. "Hey you."

"_Hey baby" Lucas smiled, "How are you? I miss you…"_

"Mmm, I miss you too. We're good, but this potty training thing isn't going too well. Ave is not havin it" Brooke frowned.

"_I wish I was there to help."_

"Me too. So how are you doing?"

"_Things are good here, they would be better if you and Ave were here, but I can't complain. I just bought a plane ticket to come in on Friday morning."_

"Oh yay!" Brooke squealed, "Only four more days then." She heard someone knocking on her door, and she had no idea who it would be. It was just after 8 pm, and she wasn't expecting anyone. "Hey Luke, someone's at the door. Can I call you later?"

"_Yeah," Lucas nodded, "I'll just talk to you tomorrow. I love you."_

"Love you too Broody" Brooke smiled, flipping her phone shut and dropping it onto the couch as she stood up. She walked towards the door, straightening her tank top and running a hand through her hair. She unlocked the front door, pulling it open to see Owen. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I found this" he said, motioning to Laela who he was holding in his arms, "yapping at my backdoor and I thought I'd bring her home."

Brooke rolled her eyes, laughing as she pulled the door open wider. "Thanks, I forgot I let her out before I put Ave to sleep. Come in."

Owen set Laela down, letting the small dog run into the house. "I would love to, but the bar calls."

"Right, Mr. Bar Manager and his important job" Brooke smirked, "Remind me how getting girls wasted so you can take advantage of them is important?"

Owen shook his head, laughing at Brooke. "I'll talk to you later Davis."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The next morning Averie woke up early. She was in a pretty good mood, and after breakfast insisted on playing outside. So Brooke agreed, deciding she could go into the store a little later today. Millicent had turned out to be a great asset, and was opening the store today. Brooke trusted her a lot, and knew she would be fine by herself. Brooke had been working so much lately, that she decided it was time to slow down. The store was up and running, and she finally understood she didn't have to be there all the time.

"Momma?" Averie asked, running into the kitchen where Brooke was cleaning up the kitchen before they went outside. "I haves a pos-sicle?"

"Yeah" Brooke said, finishing wiping down the kitchen counters. She reached in the freezer, "Blue or red?"

"I yikes byue!" Averie grinned, pointing to the red one.

"That one is red honey" Brooke laughed, unwrapping the red popsicle. "We really need to work on your colors. Your aunt Haley and Daddy would be pretty disappointed in me." Brooke laughed, ruffling the little girls hair, "Come on, lets take this outside."

"I pyay-a Mackey and go on-a syide an we go-ed fast-fast-fast!" Averie told Brooke as they walked outside and into the backyard.

"That sounds pretty crazy" Brooke laughed, loving that Averie was talking more now. She sat down in a lawn chair, watching as Averie ran for the big blow up toy that Lucas had bought her. It looked like a giant hamster wheel, and Averie loved to run around the yard inside of it. It was a pretty cool toy, but since it was inflatable it was easy to get holes in, and Averie went ballistic every time there was a small leak and she couldn't play in it. Brooke was very thankful for patches in those moments.

Brooke looked up suddenly when she heard Owen's back door slam shut. She watched as he started pacing around the yard, and Averie walked her giant blow up wheel towards the fence.

"Hi Owey" Averie waved from inside the wheel, bumping up against the fence.

"Hey Ave" Owen waved back before falling into a sitting position on his back porch.

Brooke stood from her chair, wondering where Owen's foul attitude had come from. She had never seen him act all put-out like this. She walked towards the fence that separated their yards and rested her hands on top of it.

"Who pissed in your cheerios this morning?" Brooke asked with a smirk, hoping to at least get a smile out of the guy.

"Good morning to you too" Owen said with a roll of his eyes, obviously not finding Brooke very amusing, at all.

"What's wrong?" Brooke asked, deciding to try a different approach this time.

Owen groaned, covering his face with his hands. Before he had a chance to answer, a tall, leggy blonde walked out of the back door. Her hair was long, and her skirt was short. This girl definitely wasn't leaving much to the imagination.

"There you are" She said, her southern accent playing off her lips. "I don't know why you have to be such an ass. You should be happy to see me."

Brooke stepped away from the fence, feeling like this was something she shouldn't be listening in on. She figured she'd be able to hear just as well from her lawn chair anyways.

Owen glanced over at Brooke, watching as she walked away, retreating back to the chair she was sitting in when he came outside. He reached for Amanda's hand, dragging her back into the house.

"Well great" Brooke groaned, watching as Averie left the big wheel and stumbled over to her, lifting her arms for Brooke to lift her onto her lap. "Now how are we supposed to spy on Owen?" She asked, shaking her head as Averie's tiny body curled against her.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"So, popped the big question huh?" Jake asked as he tossed the orange basketball to Lucas.

Lucas dribbled the ball, shooting from the free throw line and watching as the basketball swooshed into the hoop. "Yeah" He smiled, "I'm just glad she said yes."

Jake laughed, shaking his head at Lucas, "Like she would say no." Jake tossed the basketball up in the air, catching it in his hands again, "I'm really happy for you guys. As long as it doesn't get screwed up" Jake said, looking at Lucas with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not going to mess it up Jake" Lucas told him, knowing what Jake was thinking.

"I know you aren't, I just have to watch out for her."

"Yeah, I know you do. But I think that's kind of my job now."

"Yeah" Jake nodded, "I guess it is."

Lucas walked towards the small picnic table next to the small basketball court. He sat on the table, reaching for his water bottle and taking a long drink. He and Jake had been coming to this court at least once a week. Lucas loved playing basketball, and wanted to keep it a part of his life. Luckily, Jake loved the sport just about as much as he did, and they actually got along which made things even more pleasant. Lucas watched as Jake shot the basketball one more time, and then picked it up, following Lucas over to the picnic bench and sitting down as well.

"Chae is totally jealous of Brooke" Jake laughed, shaking his head from side to side. "Ever since you proposed she's been different."

"Different in a good way, or in a bad way?"

"I guess it depends how you look at it" Jake shrugged, "Every time she talks to Brooke on the phone, and the whole wedding subject comes up, she just gets this look in her eyes. She's been kind of hinting around, asking where our relationship is going and all that shit."

Lucas laughed, "Wait, wasn't she the one that was freaking out over all of the commitment?"

Jake nodded, "Yeah, but now its like we've switched places."

"Are you not all into the commitment anymore?" Lucas asked with wide eyes.

"I don't know" Jake said, spinning the basketball around in his hands. "I just don't think I'm ready to get married, and it looks like that's where its all heading. You know, if you wouldn't have proposed, I wouldn't be having these problems with my care-free girlfriend" Jake said with a smile.

"Well," Lucas said plainly, "At least I know how to keep my girlfriend happy."

Jake shoved Lucas, only making Lucas laugh. "Chae's happy. She is just going to have to get that diamond ring idea out of her head."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke walked through her store, arranging clothes that were out of place. As she stopped to fold a shirt she paused, staring down at the ring on her finger. The thought of marrying Lucas was getting more exciting each day. Everything was just going so great. They had a few bumps in the road while transitioning into life apart, but he was really making an effort by trying to come visit at least every weekend. They had come so far together, and she was in a good place.

Millicent walked over to Brooke, tapping her on the shoulder, "You've been staring at that shirt for like three minutes. Are you okay?"

Brooke looked up, a smile plastered to her face, "Yeah" she smiled, "I'm great."

"That ring really is gorgeous" Millicent said dreamily, admiring the ring as Brooke held her hand out. "I'm really excited for you Brooke."

"Thanks Millie" Brooke smiled, "Do you think it would be weird if I designed my own wedding dress? I mean I've always loved weddings, and I just-"

"I think you should definitely design your dress" Millicent grinned, cutting Brooke off.

"Good! Because I already have a few sketches, and I really wanted to show them to you!"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas watched as Brooke picked his juice glass up off of the table. She turned the cup, making sure that she drank off of the same spot his mouth was just touching, making him laugh.

"What?" Brooke asked with a smile, peeking over the glass before lifting it to her lips once more.

"Nothing" Lucas shrugged, "It's just good to be back in Tree Hill." He reached his hand out, circling it around Brooke's waist and pulling her towards him until she fell onto his lap. His arms wrapped around his waist, and she shivered as his fingers slipped under her shirt to rest on her still small stomach. Lucas rested his head on her shoulder, "I can't believe there is a baby in there."

Brooke sighed happily, leaning back into Lucas. "I know, its pretty amazing isn't it?"

Lucas' lips trailed along her shoulder and neck, "Mmm, it really is."

Brooke turned slightly in his lap, dipping her head down until her lips met his. They heard a crash in the kitchen, and Brooke opened her eyes, slowly bringing her face away from Luke's. She watched as Averie tried to pick up all of the shoes that she had just dropped out of her arms.

"I didn't mean bring your closet of shoes, just one pair" Brooke laughed as Averie glared at the pile of shoes.

"Daddy, too many" Averie said with a nod, looking from the pile of shoes up to her dad.

"Yeah, you don't have that many feet, Crazy" Lucas laughed.

Brooke stood from Lucas' lap and walked over to Averie, she reached down, pulling out a pair of pink ballet flats. "Come here, lets get these on and get outta here" Brooke smiled, lifting Averie into her arms.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

As soon as Brooke and Lucas pulled into the parking lot of the pediatric center of the hospital, Lucas got a sleeping Averie out of the backseat. He adjusted the little girl on his shoulder and met Brooke in front of the car, linking his fingers through hers.

"Thanks for coming to the appointment" Brooke smiled as they walked into the building.

"Thanks for letting me" Lucas smiled back, kissing her forehead. He was excited that he would actually be able to be here with Brooke through this pregnancy. He felt like he had missed out on way too much with Averie, and he wasn't going to let that happen again.

As they sat in the waiting room, Averie woke up and was thrilled to find all of the toys and books in the doctors office. She kept bringing the toys over to Brooke and Lucas, showing them all of the things that she didn't have at her own house. When the nurse came and called Brooke's name, Averie was about to throw a full on temper tantrum because she didn't want to leave the toys. Brooke was thankful for Lucas and his quick thinking as he pulled a bag of crackers from Brooke's purse.

"Well, it looks like you are definitely pregnant" Dr. Gregerson said as he finished Brooke's examination. He wrote some notes on her chart and then looked back up at Brooke with a smile. "You are just about six weeks along. And seeing as this is your second child, I'm sure you are well aware of what to expect."

"Yeah" Brooke smiled, readjusting herself, "No surprises this time, thank god."

Lucas squeezed Brooke's hand, while Averie sat on his knee. He couldn't believe that they were actually having another baby. He never thought they would get to this point of their lives, but he was thrilled that they had. He loved Brooke and Averie more than anything, and was excited to add another baby to that list.

"So, I'm going to write you a prescription for some vitamins, and you can just pick those up down in the pharmacy" he told Brooke, handing her a slip of paper. "Do either of you have any questions?"

"I think we're good" Lucas said after looking over at Brooke to make sure.

Dr. Gregerson stood from his stool, reaching a hand out to shake Lucas' hand. "Well, in that case, congratulations." He said with a smile, shaking Brooke's hand as well. "I'm looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks."

"Thank you" Brooke said happily. As Dr. Gregerson left the room, Brooke and Lucas stood up. Averie wiggled out of Lucas' arms, instead dancing around with the small bag of crackers in her hand.

Lucas placed his hands on Brooke's waist, "Just think," He smiled, "In eight months we are going to have another baby."

Brooke bit on her lip, looking up at him nervously. "I know, its pretty great huh" she said, squinting her eyes. "It would be nice if we were actually living together in eight months as well" she said with a shrug, her finger trailing down his chest.

Lucas didn't know what to say, so instead he just leaned in, kissing her softly.

**

* * *

**

A/N: How did you like it?? Let me know in your reviews! Seriously, thank you to everyone who takes a minute to leave a review. Reviews are like air for every Author on this site, and I really appreciate you all for being such amazing reviewers. So thank you so much.

**Thank You To:**

**Docegrazia- **Way to go being the very first reviewer! You are pretty good at getting this spot! I'm so glad you love Averie! I want her too…in the show at least hahah. I'm so glad you find her so adorable, and like the way I write her, because she is fun to write but at times writing a two year old can be challenging! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! Thank you for always reviewing! It means a lot! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Onetreehillgirl066- **I'm glad you were surprised with at least one of the confessions. Thanks for reviewing! I always love to see what you think! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brookedavis911- **I'm so glad you caught up! All day of reading is pretty amazing haha. I'm sure your eyes are so sick of the computer screen! Thank you for your very kind review. That was very nice of you. I'm so glad that you love this story, that is great to hear! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas333- **haha, yeah, I just had to leave a cliffhanger this time! I'm sure you are dying to find out what happens…and yes..pease pease pease! Haha. You are too funny. Thanks for always reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas3- **I'm so glad that you loved the last chapter! From the struggles to the good times. I'm glad that you were surprised by the confessions! Thank you for reviewing! Its good to see what you think! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Chebelle- **I'm glad you are back, I was wondering where you were haha. I missed your reviews, so its good to hear from you again! I hope you had fun on your trip. You are right, there will be plenty of time to sleep when you are dead haha, you are too funny! I'm so glad you loved the last few chapters! And of course I can't make Brooke be like stupid peyton in the show. That's just dumb hahaha. Its true, all of your reasonings for her to say yes are very good. You are so funny. I'm glad you liked reading about their relationship growing stronger as well! And it is so sad for Averie! She's just too little to understand! I always love reading your long, amazing reviews! So it was great to hear from you! Thanks for always reviewing! You are the best! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Anna (dancefever0234)- **It is sad that they have to be apart from each other! I'm glad you liked the chapter, and especially the length of it! Thanks for the review, its good to know what you think! I hope you liked this chapter as well!

**M190192- **I'm so glad you loved the last chapter! Its good to know that you have been following along and reading this story, and thank you for reviewing. It was great to hear from you. I hope you liked this chapter!

**Pink5288- **I'm so glad you loved the last chapter! Thanks for the review! Its good to hear from you! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Christie (sweetchristie03)- **haha, yeah, that was totally a cliffhanger! I'm glad you are happy to see chae back, I missed them as well. Thank you for always reading and reviewing, its great to hear such great things from someone as talented as yourself, so thank you a ton! I love reading your reviews, so thank you for sending them! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Natalie (iluvmedou)- **Yes, you did read correctly hahaha. I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Hahha you crack me up. I love your reviews! I always love to read them, so thank you! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Onetreefan- **You'll just have to wait and see how everything unfolds! I'm glad you loved the last chapter! Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucasforever08- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Thanks for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter as well!

**Reina123- **hahah, jumping for joy is definitely a good thing! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Thanks for always reading and reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Whiters- **I'm glad you are excited about the proposal! I'm glad you understand where Lucas is coming from when it comes to Owen! Thanks for the great review! Its good to know you are enjoying the story! I hope you liked the chapter!

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)- **I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter. But I mean, I knew you would. Brooke and Owen didn't make out so I knew you'd like it hahaha. Just jump up and down and smile, its cool! I'm glad I shocked you. And I'm glad I had him propose especially since you didn't think I would. that's even better! Hahah. I hope you waited patiently since it took me forever to get this chapter done! But let me just say, that I love your long, crazy, rambling, excited(for nw at least) reviews. Seriously, thanks Syd! Thanks for always helping me out with it all too! You are awesome! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Yana (Yaba)- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Its always good to hear what you thought about it! You definitely caught the pregnant thing hahaha. You are too good! I'm glad you think that the time jumps are benefiting the story, because sometimes I worry that I am bad with the transitions, so you made me feel a lot better! Thank you for the awesome review! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one as well.

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- **haha your review cracked me up. Your town sounds pretty intense. Has dr. Phil shown up yet? I'm glad you were happy with Chake being back in the picture! I've missed themm! I'm glad you liked the last chapter though, and I'm glad you lived through your sucky vacation haha. Thanks for always reviewing!

**Jen (courtneylovejason)- **I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter! And I'm glad you were happy with the marry me part. I figured you would be. You definitely need to start typing up new chapters! Thanks for reviewing, even though they are being all crazy hahaha.

**Brucas3Naley23- **haha I'm glad I surprised you with the last chapter! I'm glad you were happy about it all though! I'm also glad you liked the time jumps. Its good to hear what you think! Thank you for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Katherine- **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! I figured you would! Haha. I just have to say, you write the best reviews, and I seriously don't know how you do it, but I love it! I'm glad you thought that the chapter still flowed well with all of the little jumps. It was kind of intense and I was hoping that it all made sense and worked out! I wish Averie was real too, because we seriously need to get rid of stupid blonde whores. I love it because you love jealous, protective Lucas just as much as I do! Haha. I'm glad you liked the end of the chapter! I figured you would! I'm glad you could imagine everything that was happening! That is good to know haha. Thank you for always being so supportive and amazing! I seriously get so excited to get a review from you! You never let me down hahaha. Thanks for everything! I hope you like this chapter!

**Tanya (tany2byour21)- **I'm so glad you liked the ending of the last chapter, I figured you would! Its good to know that you love reading my story! Thank you for always taking the time to review, it means a lot! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Steph (Team Davis-Scott)-** Hahaha I definitely don't want you to have a heart attack! But I'm glad you got to come back to good chapters! Its great to know that you enjoy the story! I'm glad I surprised you with the two well, surprises! Thanks for reviewing, its great to hear what you think! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Samantha061- **I'm glad you got caught up with the story and its great to hear that you loved it! Thank you for the nice review and compliment! I love having new reviewers, its exciting so thank you for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**JSBrucasLove- **I'm so glad you love my story! Thank you so much for the review, its always great to hear from new reviewers, so thanks a ton! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23)- **Hey BIF! I'm glad I surprised you in the last chapter! It would be your favorite chapter! Hahaha. I knew you would like it! Thank you for always reading and reviewing! You know I love it! I hope you liked this chapter! Talk to ya sooon!

**Jem (flipflopgal)- **I'm glad you love Averie and think she is so cute! And of course you loved the ending! Its always good to hear that you love this story and that you are excited for updates! I love your reviews and get excited when I read them, so thank you! I hope you liked this chapter!

**TeamSophia- **I'm so glad you loved the last chapter! I'm glad you were happy with both surprises! I love reading your reviews! Its great to hear what you think about the chapters and its great to know that you are enjoying this story! So thank you so much for always reviewing and for reading! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas224- **I'm glad you loved the last chapter! I'm glad you loved the proposal and the fact that Brooke is pregnant. That is good to know! Thank you for the review! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Trish (BL-CS)- **You are totally right, this last chapter was full of surprises! I'm glad you liked it and it was great to get a review from you, so thank you! I hope you liked this chapter as well!

**IchliebeBrucas- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter haahah. Brucas baby and wedding is really exciting, I have to agree! Haha, I'm glad you were happy with it! And I think its perfectly normal to get excited over a story, I mean it IS brucas. So its totally fine! I'm glad you love the story! I know what you mean, summer is so busy! I've been extremely busy as well! So I totally understand! Thank you for reviewing though, I love to hear what you think! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas1992- **Definitely a cliff hanger haha. I'm glad you liked the new chapter and are excited to see what happens next. And I'm happy to hear you are obsessed with the story ahhaha that is great compliment so thank you! And thank you for reviewing, its great to know what you think! I hope you liked this chapter.

**Brucasgirl42- **OMG is a good way to explain the last chapter haha. I'm glad you are excited to see what happens next. Its always good to know what the readers think and what they like, so thank you for the review! I hope you liked this chapter.

**Chasitybsp- **It's fine you didn't review the last chapter, I'm glad you reviewed this one though! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the last chapter! It was a chapter full of surprises and I'm glad you liked it! Its also good to know you like all of the Brucas moments as well as Averie. Thank you for always taking the time to review. I hope you liked this chapter!

**Othfan326- **Thank you for the long, detailed review. Those are my favorite kinds! I love hearing all of the different parts that you enjoyed reading about! Hahaha, I thought the explosive joke was funny! I'm not that hard to please hahah. Seriously, good one! I'm glad you like how everything is happening! I'm glad you liked the whole 4th of July part! I figured you would. I'm thinking this story will have around 50 chapters, give or take! That's just a guess though! Thank you for reading and leaving such amazing reviews! I really do love them! I hope you liked this chapter as well.

**Lydia (TutorGrrl)- **Yes, the last chapter was just full of surprises wasn't it?? Haha. I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'm glad you like the Brooke/Averie moments, because I love them as well! And of course you love the brucas as well! Thanks for the kind review! Its great to know what you think. I hope you like the new chapter!

**Albluvscbg- **I'm so glad you loved the last chapter! It is very romantic that he proposed during fireworks. I always thought it would be adorable haha. You are right, Haley will be excited. Thanks for the review, its really good to know that you are enjoying this story. I hope you liked this chapter!


	42. Poetic Tragedy

**A/N: Alright everyone, sorry for the long delay but the new chapter is finally here! Thank you to everyone who reviews! Seriously, I had a hard time getting this chapter done, but every time I thought about all of you that review and love this story, I remembered why I am writing it to begin with. So literally, without your reviews, this chapter wouldn't be here! So thank you thank you! I hope you like this chapter! Oh yeah, the song is called 'Yesterday's Feelings' and is by The Used. Oh and the chapters have started being longer than usual because I'm really trying to get this story ended and as I've said its moving a lot faster now! Anyways, Enjoy!!**

_

* * *

_

Now all those feelings,

_Those yesterdays feelings will all be lost in time _

_But today I've wasted away for today is on my mind _

**Chapter Forty Two- Poetic Tragedy**

"So you are really having a baby?" Haley asked, just to make sure that she had in fact heard Brooke right.

Brooke laughed, "Yeah Hale's, I really am." Brooke smiled down at Tessa who was sitting on her knees, Brooke bounced her knees up and down while holding onto Tessa's tiny hands, Tessa grinned happily, baby drool falling down her tiny chin. "I think your mommy is sleep deprived, either that or she's losing her hearing" Brooke said in baby talk, smiling down at the happy little girl.

"Momma!" Max called, running into the living room, "Avie taked my truck!"

"Aww, is my little girl picking on you Mackey?" Brooke asked, ruffling Max's hair.

"You have lots of trucks, maybe you should find another one buddy" Haley told Max, watching as he poked out his bottom lip before running back out of the room.

"He is definitely your kid" Brooke said with a raised eyebrow. She turned her attention back to Tessa, "You are the cutest baby ever!"

"Okay, so maybe I'm just a little confused" Haley said, wiggling her finger around in the air, "But last time I checked, you were anti-new baby and pro-birth control. What happened?"

Brooke shrugged, "I didn't plan on this, it just kinda…_happened_."

"Expand" Haley said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I guess its kinda my own fault. I had birth control when I moved here, and then things got so busy and crazy, I guess I just forgot to make an appointment with a doctor here to refill it. And from what I can tell, when Lucas is unprotected, there is no messing around" Brooke said with a sly smile.

Haley rolled her eyes at her friend, "I'm happy for you Brooke. I mean, I guess I could say _I told you _so about having another baby…but I won't!"

Brooke hugged Tessa against her, "It's not like everything is all perfect, Lucas doesn't live here and I really don't know how I'm going to handle the two kid thing."

Haley reached a hand out, resting it on Brooke's shoulder, "You can do it. And, when Lucas isn't here to help, I will be."

"You already help too much" Brooke sighed. Haley had been great to baby-sit Averie on most days, but Brooke felt horrible about it. She knew Haley had enough going on with Nathan working all the time and taking care of her two kids, let alone Averie. But for now, Brooke didn't have any other options. She just hoped that by the time baby number two came along, her and Lucas might have a different arrangement.

Haley shrugged, "I really don't mind. We love Averie" she reassured with a smile. "Speaking of, its kind of quiet, we should probably go find the little monsters. Last time it was this quiet, they were trying to flush the _phone _down the _toilet_."

Brooke bit on her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing, "I don't know how you do it" She managed to get out through giggles. Brooke stood from the couch, resting Tessa on her hip as she followed Haley through the house. They checked inside Max's bedroom, and to their surprise it was empty. Haley was relieved when the bathroom was empty as well.

Haley furrowed her eyebrows, "They aren't even three yet" She said as she shook her head. She walked into her and Nathan's bedroom, and noticed that all of the bedding was missing from her bed. "Well, I think its safe to say they've been here."

"Please tell me you watch them better when I'm not here" Brooke laughed, bouncing Tessa on her side.

"Shhh" Max said, holding a tiny finger up to his lips as he appeared from the side of the bed. He looked frustrated that Haley and Brooke had come in the room so noisily. "Avie sleepin' guys" He said, shaking his head and walking back to where he came from.

Haley looked back at Brooke and watched as she just shrugged her shoulders. They both walked into the room and around to where Max had just disappeared. All of Haley and Nathans pillows and blankets were pilled up on the ground. Averie was laying in the mound, only her head poking out while she slept. Max was sitting down next to her, rubbing his tiny hand on her back to sooth her.

"Oh my god" Brooke grinned, holding her free hand up to her mouth, "Aren't they so cute!"

Max turned around, looking at Brooke with furrowed eyebrows.

"Right, quiet…sorry" she said, biting on her lip.

"Booke, Avie is sleepin'!" Max said frustrated.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

If Lucas thought being alone in New York was hard before, well he was wrong. Now, he couldn't even concentrate. He was fidgeting all through filming the show today, and he couldn't even get excited for the sporting event he got tickets to for tonight. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about Brooke, Averie, the new baby and the engagement.

He should be thrilled about everything that was happening, it was everything he wanted. And he was happy, but along with the good feelings came the guilty feelings. He couldn't get Brooke's voice out of his head, it was repeating itself over and over. _It would be nice if we were actually living together in eight months as well. _Her voice was so hurt and defeated as she spoke, and each time the words ran through his mind, each syllable came out sounding more bruised than the time before. He wished that they would be able to live together, but there were just too many things holding them apart. He knew that Brooke understood that, but he still wished he could make her completely happy.

A ringing phone shook him from his thoughts. He stood from his and Brooke's bed, rubbing his eyes as he walked into the kitchen to find his phone. If it was Jake calling to bail on the game he wasn't going to be happy. But much to his surprise when he picked up his phone, he read Brooke's name across the screen.

"Hello" he said into the phone, smiling as he leaned against the countertop.

"_Hey Broody" Brooke said happily, "I just wanted to call you before you went out tonight."_

"I'm happy you did, because I was just thinking about you."

"_Good things I hope?"_

"Only the best" Lucas laughed, picturing the way she was most likely scrunching up her face as she spoke. "So I have a few things I wanted to tell you."

"_Mmm, what?"_

"Well, my mom called today, she was wondering if we would all like to go on a family vacation next month. I guess Lily is just dying to go to Disney World before the summer ends, and mom really wants us to all come, so what do you think?"

"_Do you think Ave is old enough for that?" Brooke asked skeptically._

"She'll be three in like what, five months? Yeah, I think she's old enough" Lucas laughed.

"_I'm kidding Luke" Brooke laughed, "I already talked to your mom about it, I'm really excited for a family vacation. I think we need it."_

"You talked to my mom?"

"_Uh, yeah Luke. We keep in touch, I talk to her at least once a week."_

"I don't even talk to my mom that much" Lucas laughed, loving Brooke even more.

"_That just shows what a great son you are" Brooke smirked._

"I'm an amazing son" Lucas shot back, trying to muster up the most hurt voice he could. "But anyways, that's besides the point."

"_Hey, hold on a second, Ave wants to say hi" Brooke told him. _

Lucas waited, listening to the phone shuffling around and hearing Brooke's muted voice saying something to Averie.

"_Hi daddy!" Averie squealed into the phone, her voice loud and obviously a little too close to the receiver._

"Hey Sass" Lucas laughed, missing his little girl like crazy. "What are you and mommy doing?"

"_We's good" Averie replied, getting his question mixed up. "I gots ice ceam an mommy say montey no eat it."_

"Yeah, we probably shouldn't feed the monkey ice cream. Monkeys are too messy with ice cream" Lucas smiled. He could almost picture the look on Brooke's face as Averie tried to feed her stuffed monkey an ice cream cone.

"_Daddy? Where you go?" Averie asked, confusion resounding in her little, high pitched voice. _

"I went on the air plane, remember?" Lucas said, trying to keep his voice as happy as possible.

"_You comed home now?" She asked, her little voice breaking Lucas' heart._

"I'll be home in a couple days," Lucas promised. He heard Brooke in the background and he could tell she was obviously trying to wrestle the phone away from Averie. "Hey Avie, I love you baby."

"_I yove you Daddy" Averie told him, waving her tiny hand at the phone as she said bye._

"_Thanks for talking to her" Brooke said, sounding relieved, "Maybe she'll actually go to sleep now. She's been so restless lately."_

"I miss you two so much" Lucas sighed into the phone, squeezing his eyes shut as he tilted his head back.

"_We miss you too" Brooke said, her voice growing quiet. "But hey, only three more days until Friday, and then you'll be here."_

"I think I can wait three days" Lucas half laughed. "Hey, I'll let you go, it sounds like you have your hands full" He said as he heard Averie start to cry in the background. From the sound of her cry he could tell that his daughter was definitely tired.

_Brooke nodded, "I'll talk to you later. Tell Chae and Jake hi for me, and have fun. I love you…"_

"I love you too Pretty Girl" Lucas smiled, listening for a few more seconds until Brooke hung up the phone. He slowly lowered himself down until he was sitting down on the kitchen floor. He rested his face in his hands, trying to think of a way to bring his family together permanently.

"So you probably shouldn't just leave your front door open" Jake laughed, walking into the kitchen. He looked down at Lucas, "What the hell are you doing on the floor?"

Lucas stood up quickly, "I was just thinking" He shrugged.

"No…I know that face, you are totally brooding" Chae said with a nod, coming into the kitchen and slinking her arms around Jake's middle. "You seriously brood _way _too much" she sighed, resting her head on Jake's back.

"Do you want to go with us or stay here?" Lucas asked, squinting his eyebrows as he pointed a finger at Chae.

"I don't think you should give her the option" Jake laughed, receiving a smack on the arm from Chae.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke groaned, throwing another skirt onto her bed, adding to the pile that was already there. She pulled her sweat pants back on, and started to dig through her closet again. She was a fashion designer, she made clothes for a living, and yet she didn't have anything comfortable to wear.

She came out of the closet where Averie was sitting on the ground, putting one of her moms high-heeled shoes on.

"I can't find anything to wear" Brooke pouted, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Honestly, I can't exactly go into work wearing sweatpants!" She groaned, throwing her arms up in the air.

Averie picked up one of the shoe's she was trying on, lifting it in the air, "Gots pretty shoes momma!"

Brooke kneeled down, running her fingers through Averie's silky brown hair. She rested her hands on each side of the little girls face, "Thanks sweetie" Brooke smiled, leaning forward and kissing Averie's forehead. "Do you think those shoes will look good with my pink sweats?"

Averie grinned widely, "No momma" She giggled, dropping the shoes to the ground and running out of Brooke's bedroom.

"Didn't think so" Brooke sighed to herself. Being bloated was definitely not her favorite thing. She retreated to her bathroom, she figured she better get her hair and make-up done perfectly since she was going to work looking like she was going to a slumber party. She smiled when she heard Averie's tiny footsteps running back into the bedroom.

"Here mommy" Averie grinned proudly from her spot in the bathroom door. She held up one of her flouncy, pink cotton skirts.

"Thanks girly" Brooke laughed, "But I don't think that'll fit me, you should probably wear it."

Averie shrugged, dropping her tiny skirt to the floor. She walked into Brooke's bathroom, lifting her arms up to her mom, "Make-up Mommy, peeaaase!"

Brooke rolled her eyes, smiling down at the little girl that was definitely hers. She lifted her up, sitting her on the counter. Averie immediately scooted, forward, her tiny feet falling into the empty sink. "No messes, and you have to be good while I do your hair. Deal?" Brooke asked, holding up a small, pink, watermelon flavored chap stick to Averie.

Averie reached her hands out, "Okay" she agreed, smiling when Brooke handing the chap stick over.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke was surprised that she actually made it to the store. It took her and Averie forever just to find clothes to wear. Usually Averie was the picky one, but today it was Brooke. She loved having a little girl already, being able to relate with clothes and make-up was already tons of fun.

"Hey Brooke" Millicent grinned, walking towards the doors as soon as Brooke entered them. They started to walk back towards the counter together. "I really like your dress" she smiled.

"Thanks" Brooke said, forcing out a strained smile. She had finally decided on a loose fitting, turquoise and black silk dress. It was comfortable, but very short, so she knew she had to be extra careful when sitting down. "Sorry I was so late, this morning has been extremely stressful."

Millicent frowned, tilting her head to the side, "How come?"

Brooke sighed, running through the receipts from this morning, "I just don't feel very good."

"Is there anything I can get for you?" Millicent asked hopefully, "Ginger Ale, saltine crackers?"

"No thanks," Brooke frowned, "The thought of eating is just upsetting my stomach even more."

"Maybe you should go to a doctor," Millicent suggested. "The store will be fine without you I'm sure."

Millicent was extremely caring and motherly, and Brooke loved that about her. She was so calm and sweet-spirited, and exactly the kind of person Brooke wanted working for her. It was also nice that she had found a friend in Millicent.

"I'll be fine Millie" Brooke smiled, resting a hand on the girls shoulder, "Really. You've already done enough. I swear you are here more than I am" Brooke laughed. She knew she should probably tell Millicent about the baby, but for some reason she just wanted to keep it to herself for right now. She had only told Haley, Jake and Chae. They hadn't even told Luke's parents yet. "Hey, I'm gonna go over that inventory we just got in" Brooke said, and after receiving a nod from Millicent she retreated to the back of the store.

She was busy counting clothes that had just been sent over when she heard customers enter the store. She loved watching people in her store. She liked to hear their comments to their friends about her clothes, whether they are good or bad. She loved seeing what people liked enough to buy, and more than anything she loved to see the satisfied look on their faces when they left with a Brooke Davis, Clothes over Bro's exclusive.

After she finished one style of dresses that had just been ordered, she walked back into the actual store part and stood at the cash register. She watched as a tall blonde girl shopped with a shorter brunette girl. She listened to the girls talking, and heard one of their distinct southern accents. When the blonde spun around, her long, shiny hair flipping behind her, she recognized her.

"Hey! You are Owen's neighbor, right?" The girl smiled, her voice warm and friendly as she walked towards Brooke. She didn't wait for Brooke to answer, "I seriously love these clothes', I've been ordering them on the internet for years now. And you can just imagine how excited I was when I came back to town and found out that this is where the very first Clothes over Bro's was opened. Do you work here?"

Brooke listened to the girl in amazement. She thought she talked fast, but the blonde was definitely giving her a run for her money. "Yeah, I do work here." Brooke said, smiling politely, "I actually own this place, I'm Brooke Davis, its nice to meet you." Brooke smiled, her dimples showing as she shook the blondes hand.

"I had no idea! Oh my god! I can't believe _you _are _Brooke Davis_" The blonde grinned, hopping up and down excitedly as she held on to Brooke's hand tighter and tighter. "And you are living next to Owen, he is such an ass for not even telling me. He knows I _love _your clothes. I'm Amanda by the way, his girlfriend." Amanda couldn't help but stare at Brooke, "I'm sorry, I'm probably freaking you out, but really, I can't believe I'm actually standing here with Brooke Davis! I mean, I've seen you in magazines, and I don't know how I didn't register it before!"

Brooke laughed nervously, slowly pulling her hand out of Amanda's. "No, really it's fine. I'm glad you like my clothes. I have to get back to work, but maybe I'll see you around Owen's again."

"That would be so great!" Amanda grinned, watching excitedly as Brooke disappeared in a back room of the store.

Brooke sat down, picking up where she left off with inventory. She was happy for Owen, Amanda seemed nice. But she couldn't figure out why he had never talked about her. He didn't even let on that he actually had a girlfriend. And her mind kept flashing back to the awkward scene in the backyard a couple weeks ago.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas walked off of the stage after filming his sports show for the day. Everyone was happy, he had his usual energy back. But it was for a reason. Tomorrow was Friday, and he was flying to Tree Hill. He ran a hand over his head, feeling the short spikes of hair that were starting to grow back on top of his head. He couldn't help but smile as he walked through the studio, saying bye to the crew and wishing them a happy weekend.

"I must say, it was pretty neat to see you in action."

He turned around at the soft, sweet voice and smiled as he saw Tiffany walk away from the food table, a bagel in her hand.

"Tiff," he smiled, genuinely happy to see her. "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged, a playful smile playing across her lips. "Oh ya know. Just back in New York and decided to come see you hard at work. I mean, if you actually call it work" She said, waving the bagel around, "It looks like all play to me."

"Hey, at least I work" Lucas retorted, motioning to Tiffany's jeans and t-shirt. "I can't see you getting too much accomplished in that. What happened to the powerful marketing exec?"

Tiffany shrugged, "Decided to give it all up, play in the stocks for awhile." She kept a straight face as Lucas' mouth dropped wide open and his eyes widened. "I'm kidding" She laughed, shoving Lucas' chest with the back of her hand, "God, you are so gullible." She smirked, rolling her eyes and walking away from Lucas.

"Can anyone ever tell with you?" Lucas laughed, walking quickly behind Tiffany until he caught up with her. "I bet I could still kick your ass at basketball" Lucas said, egging her on with a knowing smile.

"Are you kidding me?" Tiffany scoffed, "Game on."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas and Tiffany sat on the back porch of his house, the basketball resting between Tiffany's feet.

"I thought you said you could beat me?" She smirked, resting a foot on the basketball and rolling it out in front of her.

"I went easy on you" Lucas said seriously, "I mean, what kind of asshole doesn't let a girl win?"

"Uh, usually that would be you" Tiffany laughed. She leaned back on her hands, tipping her head back until she felt the hair from her pony tail tickling her neck. She lifted her head again, looking over at Lucas and smiling. "I think its pretty great you bought this place from your parents. How are they doing?"

"They're good" Lucas smiled, He stared off into the backyard, "I wish I could see them more. Lily's getting pretty big and I'm missing out on that. She's seven already. It's crazy."

"Yeah, but then again you are missing out on your daughters life too" Tiffany shrugged, wiping a stray piece of hair out of her eyes. "And I'm guessing that hurts a lot more."

They sat in silence for awhile, both lost in their own thoughts. Tiffany thought of times past, of her and Lucas in college. While Lucas thought of his future, his weekend with Brooke and Averie and the baby on the way.

"She's pregnant again" Lucas said, not realizing he had said the words out loud until Tiffany looked over at him.

"Are you serious? Kind of ironic seeing as you swore you would never have kids" Tiffany laughed, "Are you excited?"

Lucas smiled, not able to help it. "Yeah," he nodded, "I really am."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes until Tiffany looked up at Lucas nervously. "You really love her don't you?"

"Brooke? Yeah, I do." He said lightly, knowing that for a fact he did love Brooke, but he didn't want to hurt Tiffany's feelings.

"Is it like me and you were?" Tiffany asked, her voice casual as she stared off into the distance.

"Not really" Lucas said, not wanting to go into detail with an old friend who happened to be an old girlfriend.

Tiffany nodded, "I hope not. I always loved you, so much. But you always wanted more. And it never seemed to be me. That stupid game always came before me, and everything else really. I was always just along for your ride, someone to have holding your hand. Just don't take advantage of her Lucas, she doesn't deserve that."

"I won't" Lucas said sadly. Tiffany's words hurt. At the time, he didn't realize that he was actually taking advantage of her. He cared about her and he thought she knew that. In college she clung to him, and its not like he didn't let her know where his priorities stood.

"Hey" Tiffany said, her cheery, playful voice returning. "I'm starving, please tell me you have some good food in this house" She grinned, standing from the porch and walking into the house. She stopped in front of the fridge, listening as Lucas walked in behind her.

She stared at a picture of Averie on the fridge, and was somehow entranced by the little girl in the picture. It didn't take a genius to tell that this little girl was beautiful. Her brown hair was pulled into a pony tail, leaving a few strands of hair spilling out messily around her face. She wore a little denim skirt with black leggings and was barefoot. Her two little hands were rested on her hips, and she had a cheesy, two-year old grin plastered on her face with two dimples on each cheek. But what seemed to catch Tiffany's attention most were the little girls bright blue eyes, sparkling as they stared into the camera, obviously loving the attention.

"She's so goofy" Lucas laughed, noticing that Tiffany was looking at one of the many pictures of Averie that was stuck to his fridge.

"She's adorable Luke" Tiffany said, smiling happily. Her eyes quickly scanned the rest of the pictures. There were a lot of the little girl, some of them even featured her with Lucas and or Brooke. There were also a handful of pictures of Brooke and Lucas together, looking at those, Tiffany could tell they were in fact in love.

"Thanks" Lucas smiled, "But I'm obviously not the one she takes after…she looks exactly like Brooke."

Tiffany nodded, "Yeah, I can see that. But you know, that's probably a good thing" She smiled, "And hey, she did get your eyes" Tiffany grinned, before opening the fridge and digging around. She stood up, turning around to face Lucas. "So you have no food. How do you live?"

Lucas laughed, reaching past Tiffany and taking a magnet off of the fridge, "You up for pizza?"

Her eyes scanned the magnet, grinning when she saw the logo of her favorite pizza parlor in New York City. "Definitely."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke went into the store for a few hours on Friday morning, taking Averie with her since she wasn't there for very long. When they got back home around lunchtime, Averie was too wound up to take a nap. Lucas would be arriving in a few hours, and so Brooke understood why Averie was so excited. They pulled into the driveway and saw Owen next door unloading groceries from his car. As soon as Brooke got Averie out of her car seat, the little girl immediately ran towards the small, white picket fence that separated their yard from Owens.

"Hi Owey!" Averie grinned, peeking through the white slats of the fence.

"Look who it is" Owen smiled down at Averie. He set the grocery bags on his porch and walked over to the fence, reaching over to Brooke's side and lifting Averie into his arms. "Hey wiggle-worm, what are you doin?"

"Watchin for my daddy!" Averie giggled, squirming around in Owens arms. He set her on the ground and watched as she walked towards his porch, looking into the bags that he had just set down.

"I hope there's no alcohol in those bags" Brooke laughed, walking towards the fence.

"You know I don't drink" Owen said, raising an eyebrow at Brooke.

"I know, I know" She said, holding up her hands, "I just have a hard time believing it."

"Owey, I have sting cheese?" Averie asked, walking towards Owen with a string cheese in one hand.

"Cheese doesn't sting Ave" Owen laughed, ruffling the little girls hair. He reached for the cheese, opening the package and handing the stick of cheese back to Averie, "Knock yourself out."

"So, I met Amanda yesterday" Brooke said casually, resting her hands on top of the white fence and watching as Averie wandered around Owen's yard. "She seems really nice. But I think you are an ass for not even telling me about her. I though we were friends Owen!" Brooke said playfully.

"What is there to tell?" Owen asked, sounding confused and acting a little irritated.

"She's your girlfriend and she is so cute" Brooke said, rolling her eyes, "We are already planning to hang out."

"First of all, she isn't my girlfriend, and second of all, why are you hanging out with her?" Owen asked, his voice growing more annoyed.

"Damn it, I can't drink and we were planning on going to the bar" Brooke groaned under her breath, ignoring Owen's question completely.

"Mommy!" Averie squealed, "I find a cap-a-ti-yer! Mommy yooook!"

Owen turned around to look at Averie, scrunching his face in confusion. He swore he could only understand that kid half the time.

Brooke laughed, walking around the fence and into Owen's yard, "What did you find baby?"

"A cap-a-ti-yer!" Averie repeated, crouching down in the grass and pointing a tiny finger.

Brooke bent down, "Ohhh, a caterpillar. That's pretty neat, maybe Owen will be super nice and go inside and find you a jar to put it in."

"Okay, I can take a hint" Owen mumbled, walking into the house and returning a few moments later with a square Tupperware, he handed it to Brooke who was now sitting on the grass with Averie. "Its all I could find" he shrugged when Brooke lowered her eyes at the Tupperware.

"It's fine" Brooke smiled, she turned back to Averie who was staring intently at the caterpillar. She looked at the green bug, watching as it moved slowly along a blade of grass, "Okay, I can't touch that. Owen will you-oowww" She groaned, squeezing her eyes shut. She rested her hands on her flat stomach, "its okay baby" she whispered.

Owen immediately dropped to the grass, "Are you okay?"

Brooke shook her head, "Yeah, I'm fine" she mumbled, the stomach cramp disappearing. She was having small muscle spasms in her abdomen since yesterday, and every time it happened she got a little more concerned. But she figured it was just the Mexican food she had eaten at Haley and Nathan's house a few days before. She motioned to the bug, "Will you put it in here, please?" Brooke pouted.

"Peeaase Owey" Averie whined, her pouting face matching Brooke's completely.

Owen laughed, shaking his head, "You two are crazy" he said as he lifted the small bug into the container. "Alright Ave, you need to put some grass and leaves in here for your little friend."

Averie nodded as if she was up to the challenge. "I name her montey."

"Yeah Sassy, it looks just like a monkey" Brooke laughed. She watched as Averie ran off, the Tupperware container in hand as she went on her mission to fill it with grass and leaves.

"What was that all about? And don't say it was nothing, it didn't look like nothing."

Brooke sighed, "I've just been having these stomach things."

"You said baby" Owen told her, eyebrows raised.

Brooke bit on her lip, She looked at Owen and his eyes were staring intently into her. "I'm pregnant" She shrugged.

"That's really great Brooke" Owen smiled, before his face turned back to seriousness. "But if you are pregnant and having stomach problems, maybe you should get into the doctor."

"No, its fine, really" Brooke said, smiling, "And Luke is gonna be here soon anyways."

"Good. I'm glad he'll be here, and if that happens again he better take you to the hospital."

"He will" Brooke said confidently.

"Are you two getting married before or after the baby?"

"We haven't really decided" Brooke shrugged, watching as Averie carefully placed blades of grass into the container.

"I know I haven't really got to know the guy, but the way he looks at you…" Owen said, shaking his head. "You two are really lucky."

Brooke smiled, "Thanks Owen, that means a lot. We better go get ready, I hope she'll take a nap before he gets here" Brooke laughed, "Come on Monkey, lets go get some lunch" Brooke called to Averie, watching as the little girl giggled at the name.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

When Averie woke up from her nap, and Brooke met her in her room, the little girl started to cry uncontrollably.

Brooke held Averie against her shoulder, running a hand along the little girls back. "What's wrong honey?" Brooke asked softly, listening as Averie's cries turned to hiccups.

"Da-ddy" Averie choked out in between sobs.

"He'll be here soon baby" Brooke frowned, knowing that Averie was hoping to see her dad when she woke up.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas loved the feeling of walking into the home in Tree Hill. He always got the warmest welcome from the two inhabitants, and it was the greatest feeling in the world. Averie ran to the door as soon as he opened it, throwing her tiny arms around his neck when he bent down, and holding on as tight as she possibly could. He usually got the same reaction from Brooke as well, and he didn't mind either.

After dinner, Averie laid on the floor on her stomach, her head rested in her hands as she peered down into the Tupperware container that held the fuzzy, green caterpillar. Brooke and Lucas sat on the couch, curled up together and looking down at their little girl, watching her kick her tiny, pajama clad legs up in the air behind her as she stared down at the bug.

Lucas ran his fingers along Brooke's stomach, "Do you think this baby will look like you and Ave?" He asked, his face pressed up against her hair.

"Hey, Ave looks like you too!"

"Only her eyes" Lucas said, laughing when Brooke nodded. "I hope this baby looks like you too. Looking at Averie and seeing you is one of the best things in the world."

Brooke lifted her head from his shoulder, her lips meeting Luke's with sincere longing.

"Daddy," Averie yawned from her spot on the floor. She stood up, carrying the Tupperware container and setting it down on the coffee table. "Read a book?" She asked, lifting her arms and waiting for Lucas to scoop her up.

"Of course," Lucas smiled happily, holding Averie in his lap. Brooke reached for a book on a table next to the couch and handed it to Lucas.

He read the book, Averie curled up in his lap, and Brooke curled around his side. In moments like this he had to close his eyes for a second, just to remember everything about it. The way Averie's wet hair still smelled like Johnson's baby shampoo and the way her tiny fingers curled around his hands as he held onto the book. The way Brooke fit against him perfectly, and how he could tell she truly enjoyed these story times as much as Averie did. They were a family, and moments like this just proved that.

After reading a couple books, Averie was asleep on Lucas' lap. She had her pink blanket tucked under one arm, while her purple monkey was tucked in the other. She sucked on a pacifier, which only reminded Brooke and Lucas that she wasn't a baby anymore and they needed to start to get her off of the pacifier.

"I'm going to go put her in bed" Lucas whispered to Brooke. After she nodded he stood from the couch, adjusting Averie so her head was resting on his shoulder. The little girl immediately clung to Lucas, dropping her monkey as she grabbed a fist-full of his t-shirt.

Brooke followed Lucas up the stairs, purple monkey in hand. They both kissed Averie before Lucas softly laid her in her crib. Brooke placed the monkey next to the little girl, knowing she would need the extra comfort in the night. They stood by the crib, both watching their little girl sleep for a few minutes. Both of them thinking of how lucky they were to have her.

Finally, Brooke linked her fingers through Lucas', pulling him out of their daughters room and into theirs.

As soon as they were in the bedroom, they were quiet, at this point there was no need for words. Brooke closed her eyes softly as she wrapped her hands around Lucas' neck, bringing her lips to his as his hands wrapped around her waist. They didn't need to talk, they could communicate without words.

Lucas brought one hand up to Brooke's head, cradling the back of it softly as he deepened the kiss. Brooke held onto him tighter, relishing in the feel of his lips, his body, against hers.

There mouths parted momentarily as Brooke removed Lucas' shirt and then her own. She tipped her head back as his mouth traveled along her neck and collarbone, leaving a hot trail. The sensation his mouth was making on her body made her nails dig into his back, marks that would be gone by morning.

When she couldn't handle it anymore, she brought her hands to his face, lifting it until their mouths met with intense desire. They traveled each others mouths and bodies like a well known map. Their time apart only made their want and need for each other stronger.

Lucas moaned as soon as he felt Brooke's fingers on his zipper, the pants suddenly way too confining. When her fingers stumbled over the button on his jeans, he reached down, unhooking them himself. As he led her towards her bed, she kicked off her pajama shorts, their need for each other growing with each movement.

Brooke fell onto the bed, Lucas' hand behind her head like a pillow. She smiled against his lips as soon as she felt his body pressed hard against hers. He worked his magic, keeping his lips and attention on her while he removed his boxers and her panties.

They fell together in perfect rhythm. Brooke meeting each one of Lucas' movements with equal want and need. He kept his lips on hers the whole time, hoping that she understood just how much she meant to him.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

They lay in bed together, the moon high in the sky and the stars twinkling through the open window. Lucas brushed his fingers through Brooke's hair as her head rested on his bare chest. They whispered in the dark, neither of them able to sleep. It was late at night, and they knew that Averie would be waking them up early the next morning, but it didn't matter.

"At eight weeks" Lucas whispered, kissing the top of her head softly, "Our baby is the size of a bean, but our baby still has developed tiny arms and legs. Its too bad we can't tell if baby is a boy or girl yet…"

Brooke smiled, sitting up in bed and holding the sheet around her, "How do you know all this?"

Lucas smiled, pulling Brooke towards him and kissing her slowly, "I've been reading."

Brooke settled back down in his arms, "Tell me more."

"Well" Lucas said quietly, "Toes and fingers are coming soon. And can I just say, I _love _what this baby is doing to your body."

Brooke frowned, "Yeah, because you aren't the one that's sick every morning and bloated. And p.s. its not worth the big boobs!"

"Sorry," Lucas laughed, running his fingers through her hair. He got quiet for a few seconds before asking, "Is the morning sickness bad?"

Brooke shrugged, "I have to eat in the morning for the baby and for energy since I have none, but then I just get sick. And even when I don't eat I'm sick. But I mean, it'll get better" She reassured, hearing the hurt in Lucas' voice when he asked the question.

"I'd take away all the pain and sickness if I could" Lucas frowned, holding Brooke tighter against him.

"I know you would" Brooke smiled.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The next morning Brooke was happy to wake up to the smell of waffles and bacon. She smiled to herself, loving having Lucas there. As soon as she started to get out of bed, her stomach cramped up again, this time hurting worse than before. She bit on her lip, squeezing her eyes shut until the pain subsided. She climbed out of bed, and when she went to the bathroom, she noticed a tiny bit of blood in her panties. She knew it couldn't have been from sex with Lucas, he wasn't even that rough with her, and she had had sex enough that she shouldn't be bleeding from it. It freaked her out, but she had read in a pregnancy book that some women spot a little at the beginning of their pregnancy. She changed her panties, and put a panty liner in just to make sure that she wasn't bleeding too much.

She walked down the stairs, smiling as she saw Lucas in front of the stove, shirtless, and Averie in her high chair, babbling to Lucas as she ate her breakfast.

"Mommy!" Averie grinned as soon as she noticed Brooke in the room. "Daddy maked yum-yums!"

Brooke leaned down, kissing Averie's forehead, "I see that Sassy, you smell like syrup."

"I was just about to wake you" Lucas smiled as Brooke wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Thanks for letting me sleep in" She mumbled into his neck.

"Anytime baby" Lucas smiled, turning around and kissing Brooke quickly. "If waffles don't sound good, I can make you something else. Anything that might help settle your stomach?"

"Waffles sound great" Brooke smiled, sitting down in the chair next to Averie.

After breakfast Brooke and Lucas were sitting in the backyard on the grass, watching as Averie played in her small plastic pool. After throwing Laela in the pool, the dog refused to go anywhere near the little girl.

Brooke pressed herself against Lucas, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. She loved having him here, and really wished that he wouldn't have to leave. It was so nice to have him there, he was her other half and made everything whole.

"Daddy! Watch I's can swim!" Averie called, wiggling around in the tiny pool and showing off for her dad.

"Wow Sass, you are like a little fish" Lucas called back, laughing at his goofy little girl.

She stood up in the pool, water dripping off her pigtails. "Daddy, I's have a pos-sicle?"

Lucas nodded, "Sure, stay there and I'll go get you one, okay girly?"

Averie nodded, dropping back into the pool and watching as Lucas untangled himself from Brooke and walked into the house.

Brooke sat up, watching Averie splash in the pool. Again, out of nowhere, her stomach started to cramp, this time it hurt worse than it did this morning.

"Oh my god" Brooke said quietly, waiting for the pain to pass. She held on to her stomach, biting down on her lip so she wouldn't scream or cry.

Lucas stepped back outside, an unwrapped popsicle in his hand, "Here Avie" he called, walking into the yard. Averie ran towards him, gladly accepting the popsicle. He looked down at Brooke, noticing that she was clutching her stomach and obviously in pain, "Brooke!" he called, his voice filled with fear, "Brooke, baby, are you okay?" He watched as her face started to relax.

"I'm okay" she said, her words shaking as she started to relax, her arms resting in the grass beside her. "Come sit with me" she said, reaching up for his hand and pulling him down next to her.

"Brooke, what was that?" Lucas asked, his faced etched with worry.

She shrugged, trying to play it off as if it was nothing. But each time the cramps started, the pain got worse, and as much as she tried to ignore it, she had a feeling that it wasn't _nothing_.

He lifted a hand to the side of her face, "Are you okay? You were holding your stomach…if something's wrong you need to tell me."

Brooke opened her mouth, "I-" she started, about to tell him, "I have to pee" she said, suddenly feeling like she was about to wet her pants. She jumped up from the ground and ran into the house.

Lucas listened to her voice shake and watched as her eyes filled with tears right before she ran into the house. He turned, looking at Averie who was dancing around in the yard, eating the popsicle that was now dripping down her hand. He waited for Brooke to come back, hoping that whatever was going on really was _nothing_.

"Daddy, watch!" Averie called, picking up the big, pink ball and kicking it across the yard as soon as she had Lucas' attention.

"Let's see if you can make a basket in the pool with it" Lucas suggested, smiling at his daughter.

Brooke opened the back door, stepping onto the porch. Lucas turned around to face her, and she wiped at the tears that were now streaming down her face. "Luke" she choked out, "I'm bleeding. We need to go to the hospital."

**

* * *

**

A/N: Okay, so don't hate me! I don't have time to write personal thank you's, but just know that your reviews are what got this chapter out! I was also excited for some new reviewers! You guys are all awesome! So please make sure and review, let me know what you thought about this chapter! I love you all! xoxox Lindsay

** A Special Thank You To: **

_**Natalie (iIuvmedou)**_

_**PeterClaire**_

_**Othfan326**_

_**Katus**_

_**Dolcegrazia**_

_**Cass (BroodandCheer323)**_

_**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)**_

_**Reina123**_

_**Onetreehillgirl066**_

_**AHJNKCES**_

_**Christie (sweetchristie03)**_

_**Onetreefan**_

_**IchliebeBrucas**_

_**Brucas333**_

_**Whiters**_

_**Grooviejj-othfan88**_

_**Chasitybsp**_

_**Brucas224**_

_**Chebelle**_

_**Austingirl76**_

_**Brookedavis911**_

_**Yana (yaba)**_

_**Katie (BrOoKeDaViS23)**_

_**Katherine**_

_**Tanya (tanya2byour21)**_

_**Jen (courtneylovejason)**_

_**Brucas3Naley23**_

_**Steph (Team Davis-Scott)**_

_**Albluvsbg**_

_**Jem (flipflopgal)**_

_**Brucasgirl42**_

_**Brucas1992**_


	43. Walking On Broken Glass

**A/N: First of all, I am sooo sorry it took so long for me to update! I've been extremely busy with summer classes, and life in general! But, I've got a brand new update for you now! Thank you to everyone who reviews, they seriously are the inspiration for this story! The song in this chapter is called 'Eve, the Apple of my Eye' by Bell X1. I hope you like this chapter! Enjoy!**

_

* * *

_

And I lie behind you

_And I cradle you in the palm of me _

_And I pat your hair down _

_I think will we sink or swim? _

_'Cause we could do either on a whim_

**Chapter Forty Three- Walking On Broken Glass**

As soon as Lucas and Brooke rushed into the hospital, Averie still wearing a soaking wet bathing suit, Brooke was taken immediately into a room for examination. Lucas held Averie in his arm, the left side of his shirt now a darker shade of blue from Averie's wet swimming suit as she pressed against him.

_Silence._

As the doctor waved the wand across Brooke's flat stomach, Lucas held his breath. Brooke's eyes were shut tightly, her hand grasping Luke's free one so firmly that his fingers started to tingle.

_Silence._

Averie's arm tightened around Lucas' neck, and she laid her head against Lucas' shoulder, droplets of water sliding from the tips of her wet ponytail. He could tell Averie was closing her eyes, the exciting rush to the hospital mixed with her normal nap time getting the best of her. The little girl moved around in his arm, one hand holding onto his shoulder while the other looped around his neck. He felt her warm breath on his neck, and that was one of the most comforting things he could imagine coming from his small child.

_Silence._

Brooke pursed her lips together tightly, as she squeezed her eyes shut. She felt Luke's thumb gently run across her hand, and that only made her fingers dig harder into his. It was too quiet, and quiet she knew wasn't good. She was too scared to look at the grainy screen to her side, too scared of what she might _not_ see. Even the doctor was being extremely quiet. When she heard him clear his throat, she opened her eyes again, only to see some sort of pain on his features.

"I'm sorry" he frowned, the wrinkles in his forehead becoming clear as he spoke with sincere regret.

After she heard those two words, she zoned out. Her mind taking her somewhere else completely. She felt tears rolling out of her eyes and down her cheeks as she unwillingly heard words like 'no heartbeat' and 'miscarriage'. This couldn't be happening to her, there had to be some sort of mistake.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

When Brooke woke up she smiled, savoring the few seconds of unconsciousness before she remembered the nightmare that had become her life. As she moved under the blankets, stretching limbs that seemed to ache, she noticed that the sun was no longer shining as darkness crept in through the window. She fought to remember how she had ended up back at home. The last thing she could recall clearly was laying in that hospital bed and holding onto Lucas for dear life as she found out that her baby was…no, she couldn't even think it.

Brooke bit on her lower lip, swinging her legs to the side of the bed and resting her feet on the ground. She couldn't remember changing into the fleece pajama pants, and the extra comfort would be nice, but who was she kidding? Her eyes were dry and burning, and all she wanted to do was cry. As her breath came out in gasps, cries that weren't accompanied by tears this time, she buried her face in her hands. She didn't know what she had done so wrong to lose her baby.

After taking a deep breath, she stood from the bed and walked slowly down the hall. She kept one hand on the wall, not trusting her balance in fear of crumpling to the ground and becoming a big, broken puddle of what she used to be.

Her throat was burning, and her mouth was dry. She figured that she had to re-hydrate herself, knowing that her tears had definitely done a number on her. As she stepped down each stair, she begged for a blank mind, one that couldn't think about everything that was happening.

Brooke had to walk through the living room to get to her kitchen, and that's when she noticed two sleeping forms sprawled across the couch. Lucas was pressed into the back of the couch on his side, while Averie's tiny body was pressed and curled into her dads. Lucas had his armed draped around his little girl protectively, while she clung to her pink blanket and purple monkey. When Averie had her eyes closed, she looked like a miniature version of Brooke.

As Brooke stared at her daughter, her mind couldn't help but wander to the child she had lost. She bit on her lip, feeling her eyes burn again as they tried to fill with tears. The thoughts that ran through her mind made her want to cry even more, and she had a hard time controlling the sobs that escaped her mouth.

_Would the baby look like me? Lucas? Averie?_

_Was our baby a boy or a girl? We'd never know._

_What did we do wrong? What could we have done to prevent this?_

_God, I'm a horrible mother, I must be to deserve this._

Brooke clasped a hand over her mouth as she slid down the wall and onto the floor. She leaned over, her head buried in her hands as she sobbed.

Lucas woke up, every noise and movement was cause for alarm today. He heard crying and as his eyes blinked open, they immediately fell on Averie. But she was still sleeping, not having a nightmare as he suspected, and was still soundly asleep, her mouth slightly open as she held tightly onto a pacifier. But the cries continued, and his mind immediately flashed to Brooke. He sat up, careful not to wake Averie and saw Brooke, sitting across the room on the floor, her body seeming to convulse as she cried into her hands.

Lucas was up in an instant, readjusting Averie on the couch before rushing to Brooke's side. After hearing the horrible news of the loss of their baby, he knew he was going to have to be the strong one. He wasn't sure how he could do that when he felt like his insides were being ripped apart in shreds as someone stole his life from him. But as he watched Brooke break down in the hospital room, he knew he didn't have a choice.

The day had started out so perfectly, he had no idea what it would turn into. His heart broke all over again every time he heard the doctors words from earlier echo in his mind. After the doctor had given them the horrible news, Brooke broke down completely. She went from yelling at the doctor to sobbing uncontrollably in a matter of seconds. That of course had woken up Averie, and before he knew it both of his girls were crying and he had all intentions of joining them.

But he held it together, and somehow managed to get Brooke and Averie back to the house in one piece. He held Brooke as she hit, cried and screamed until she finally wore herself out. She had been sleeping for hours, and he had no choice but to hold everything together for Averie.

Averie. His precious little girl. After losing their baby, he made promises to be the best father he could possibly be to the child he was lucky enough to have. The silly two and a half year old was the only thing that was keeping his emotions under control. It all made him realize lucky he was to have the little girl in his life.

As soon as he was at Brooke's side, he scooped her up in his arms. They sat on the floor of the living room, she was curled into a tiny ball in his lap. Her head hidden in his neck while her hands clawed into the shirt on his back. She cried into him, and as he held on to her with everything he had left, he let the hot tears finally spill from his eyes and into her silky brown hair.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

It was nearly midnight and both Brooke and Lucas were exhausted. It seemed like they had held each other for hours, both of them crying until they couldn't anymore. Neither of them had been through this kind of grief before, and neither knew what to expect from it. But they had each other, and they were the only two in their small world that could understand the pain and the heartache.

Brooke ran a finger around the edge of her coffee cup, the black liquid inside was now cold and uninviting. When she felt Lucas' hand slide along her leg, resting on her thigh she looked up at him, figuring her eyes were probably just as blood shot as his.

"We're gonna get through this" He promised in a raw voice, squeezing her leg. He was supposed to be back in New York in the morning, in time for the afternoon filming of his show. But he knew there was no way in hell he was leaving Brooke, not right now.

"I don't know Luke" She said, her voice cracking as her face twisted into a sadness so strong it passed from her to him. Her features scrunched together, her eyes seeming to turn into a frown before a fresh batch of tears rushed out of them like a flash flood.

Lucas opened his arms to her, "Come here" he choked out, watching as the love of his life broke down yet again.

Brooke stood from the dining room chair she was occupying and immediately fell into Lucas' open arms. She curled into his lap, wanting nothing more than him to hold her, to feel her pain with her. She sniffled through her cries as his welcoming arms encircled her completely, holding her body tightly against his.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas ran his fingers down the side of Brooke's face, glad that she was getting some much needed rest. Her face was pressed against his chest as they laid in bed, and he cringed as the sun started to shine through the curtains. They had both fallen asleep eventually, but his slumber didn't last long. His mind was filled with so many thoughts it was hard to acknowledge them all.

But what was weighing heavily on his mind was the dream he had once he had fallen asleep. They had been at the beach, the sand shining like diamonds as the sun shone down. He and Brooke were curled up on a blanket, watching as Averie ran around in front of them. She wore a polka dotted swimming suit and had a shovel and pail in her hands. Her little, high-pitched laugh was contagious, and it had made him smile. He watched as Averie ran to the side of him, and he turned so that he could keep an eye on her. When he looked over, Averie was kneeling down, peeking into a car seat and smiling widely. "That's my brother" she said proudly, right before he woke up.

He shook the thought from his head, not wanting those pictures of the perfect family floating around in his head. It wasn't fair, and it wasn't right. Why did they lose their baby? What did they do to deserve that? He could think of so many un-fit people that had been blessed with children, but he and Brooke's child had been lost. Taken from them.

He felt Brooke stir in his arms, and stared down at her as her eyes fluttered open. He held his breath as he watched her lips form to a smile and then fade, and he knew those first few moments of your world being normal after waking all too well.

"Hey ba-" he started, shaking his head before finishing the word 'baby'. "Pretty Girl" he corrected, "Did you sleep okay?"

"Not really" Brooke said honestly, moving around in Luke's arms and rubbing at her dry eyes. "How about you? Did you get any sleep?"

Lucas shrugged, "a few hours." He leaned down, pressing his lips against her forehead and leaving them there for a few moments longer than usual. Starting today, he decided, he wasn't going to take anything for granted. "How do you feel? Are you hungry?"

Brooke closed her eyes for a few seconds, "No, I don't think so."

He wrapped his arms tighter around her, noticing how small she was in his arms. They fell into a silence that wasn't comfortable nor uncomfortable. He hated not knowing the words to say to make her feel better. But how could he take her pain away when he was already burdened with so much pain as well.

"Why Luke?" She said, her words so soft and her voice so raspy that he almost didn't understand her. "Why did we lose the baby? Do you think its because I didn't want more kids right now? Because I swear that once I found out about the baby I was happy, I really was, I promise."

Lucas shut his eyes, willing the tears not to fall as he listened to her hurt voice. "Its not your fault Brooke, don't feel guilty. I know you were happy about the baby, I was too. You didn't do anything wrong."

She sat up in bed, the blankets falling into her lap as she stared at him. "I just feel like this is somehow my fault." Brooke paused for a second, her eyes staring down into her lap, she spoke quietly, refusing to meet Luke's eyes, "I'm not a good mom."

Lucas sat up, reaching for her hands and holding them tightly in his. "Are you kidding me? You are the _best _mom. I don't know many people who could do what you do. Averie loves you…you are great with her, any child would be lucky to have you for their mom."

"Then why Luke?" Brooke asked, her voice cracking as she lifted her head to finally look at him.

"I don't know" he said regretfully, wishing he had all the right answers. "But I know that it wasn't our fault Brooke."

She nodded, and he could tell by looking at her that she was trying her hardest to believe him, and to not break out into tears.

"I kept having this dream" Brooke said suddenly, the pain evident in her features. "We were at the park and I was sitting on a blanket. Averie was standing next to me, she was clapping and I was smiling. You were standing in front of us, hunched over as you held our little boy's hands, helping him to walk to me and Ave. You let go of his fingers and he stumbled over to me, and I barely caught him but we all cheered anyways. But I can't remember what he looked like, and I really just _want_ to _remember_."

Lucas wrapped his arms around Brooke, pulling her into him. "I had a dream like that too."

And once more, they became each others shoulders to lean on as they tried to work through their shared pain.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Momma! Daddy!" Averie called, stomping loudly before throwing their bedroom door open.

Brooke and Lucas pulled it together for their daughter, the last thing they wanted was to scare her by crying uncontrollably. They put on their smiles, and it wasn't hard after seeing the dimpled grin on Averie's face.

"Hey sweetie" Brooke grinned, standing from the bed and meeting Averie in the doorway. She lifted the little girl into her arms, hugging her tighter and longer than normal.

It was only a few seconds before Lucas was beside them. He rested a hand on Averie's back, leaning down and kissing her head. "Good morning Avie, how about we go and make some waffles."

It was Sunday morning, and that had always been their tradition. They had started it when Averie was tiny, and ever since Brooke had to move to Tree Hill, the tradition was hard to keep up with. But they were a family, and time together was important. Even though the tradition seemed unimportant, Lucas knew they needed anything possible to help hold them together.

"I's tummy's talkin" Averie giggled lightly, rubbing her little hand over her stomach.

"Hmm, Daddy, are tummy's supposed to talk?" Brooke asked, looking up at Lucas with a questioning face, trying not to smile at the utter amusement that overtook Averie's features.

"I don't think so Mommy," Lucas replied, he nodded his head, "I think we better eat Ave for breakfast instead."

By now Averie was giggling uncontrollably, and when Lucas and Brooke attacked her stomach simultaneously with tickles she tipped her head back, her smile wide as she shrieked and laughed loudly, wiggling to escape their hands.

They had chased Averie down the stairs and laughed with their daughter the whole way. When they reached the kitchen and the laughs faded, Brooke and Lucas couldn't help but feel guilty. They knew they shouldn't, but they couldn't help it. How could they laugh, joke, and play, when not even 24 hours ago they had gotten the news of a child that wouldn't be born.

As if he was reading her mind, Lucas wrapped an arm around Brooke's shoulder. "I know," he said softly, "I don't know how we're supposed to act either. But I think for Averie's sake, and for our own sanity, its okay to laugh."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Here mommy, you use-a yeyyow one" Averie said, lifting the yellow crayon and handing it to Brooke.

"Good job Sass" Brooke said, taking the yellow crayon from Averie as they colored, or scribbled, in the coloring book that Averie was now starting to love. "Now do you think you can find me a purple one?"

Averie grinned widely at Brooke before scanning the crayons that were spread across the coffee table. "I yikes a pup-a-la" Averie grinned, handing the purple crayon to her mom.

"Way to go Avie" Brooke grinned, laughing at Averie's adorable pronunciation of the word. "I like the purple one too. High five for knowing your colors" Brooke said, holding up her hand and smiling at Averie as she slapped it, the tiny girl obviously thrilled with the praise.

Lucas walked into the living room, exhaling deeply as he slipped the cell phone into his pocket. "I got this week off, they were really good about it and said if I needed more time just to call."

Brooke nodded, happy that Lucas didn't have to leave yet.

"Daddy, you yike-a coyor with us?" She asked, her big blue eyes begging with his.

Lucas walked towards the coffee table, sitting down on the ground across from Brooke and Averie. "I'd love to color with you."

After naming all of the colors to her dad, Averie grew bored and wandered away from the coloring book, settling in front of the noisy child-size keyboard Haley had given her.

Lucas scooted around the coffee table so that he could sit next to Brooke. He ran a finger along her arm, "It's hard to look at Averie without wondering what the new baby would've looked like."

Brooke nodded, "I know" she sighed, knowing the feeling all too well. She smiled softly as Averie pumped her tiny fists in the air, cheering as the colorful keyboard sang back the keys she had hit. "It all happened so quickly. Yesterday morning we weren't talking about the baby in past tense. Its just hard to believe its real" She said, her fingers unconsciously moving to her stomach.

Lucas noticed, keeping his eyes on her hand that was rested against her stomach. He reached a hand over, placing it on top of hers. "Does it hurt?"

Brooke shook her head, "No, not anymore." She was quiet for a few seconds before quietly saying, "I kind of wish it did though."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

After Haley had called for the eighth time that day, Brooke decided she should probably answer. Haley was confused by the fact that Brooke said Lucas hadn't gone back to New York, and after a million questions, Brooke invited Haley and Nathan over.

They were all sitting in the backyard on lawn chairs, watching as Averie and Max chased each other around the yard. Haley noticed the way that Brooke seemed to cling to Lucas, and the way that Lucas started to freak out if Brooke, or Averie, were out of his sight.

Nathan ran his fingers along the outside of his beer, the droplets of condensation leaving their mark. "So how long are you staying for? If you are here all week you should come over to the school with me, hang out during practice."

Lucas smiled politely, "That would be fun" he agreed, knowing that as long as he was in Tree Hill, he wasn't going to leave Brooke and Averie.

"So why don't you two stop beating around the bush and tell us why Luke is really staying" Haley said, rolling her eyes as she cut to the chase. She held onto Tessa's fingers as the tiny girl stood on her knees. "Did you get out of that stupid contract? Your moving here aren't you" Haley said with a wide grin and nod.

Nathan reached over, clapping Lucas on the shoulder, not missing a beat. "That's exciting, its about time you two are together again. I swear, with you gone Brooke turns into a brooder, and we all know a brooding Brooke isn't a good Brooke."

Brooke shifted in her chair uncomfortably as Lucas squeezed her hand. _Well_, she thought, _if you don't like a broody Brooke you probably won't want to be around me right now._

"Why aren't you guys more excited about this?" Haley asked, her face turning from Lucas' unreadable expression to Brooke's.

"Because he's not moving here Haley" Brooke said, her voice tired as she spoke.

"It's okay" Lucas reassured, his thumb caressing her hand.

"Then what is it? Are you okay?" Haley asked, her face dropping as soon as she started to put all of the signs together. Brooke and Lucas were definitely not their selves today. Sure they were clingy, but they weren't all touchy feely as usual. Today it seemed to be more of comforting touches, the kind that let the other know that you were there for them. They also hadn't been talking as much as usual, and for Brooke that was weird. That along with the weird tension and sad, lost expressions, Haley was starting to fret.

"Brooke?" Nathan asked, watching as Brooke looked up, trying to keep the tears from falling.

"We lost the baby" Brooke said suddenly, her voice loud and filled with emotion: anger, sadness, fear, regret.

"Oh my god" Haley gulped, quickly handing Tessa to Nathan and then wrapping her arms around Brooke. "I'm so sorry, so, so, sorry. How are you doing? Can I do anything for you?"

"I don't think so" Brooke said, trying to keep from stiffening in her best friends arm. As soon as Haley released her from the hug, Brooke stood up, settling into Lucas' lap to where she could feel secure.

"Mommy" Averie squealed, running towards the group of adults. "We's is hungy."

Max stepped up behind her, his eyes squinting closed as he smiled, "Its lunch time" he announced, grabbing Haley's hand and pulling her up. As soon as she was standing he released her hand and turned to his dad. "Hi Daddy. My baby Tess is hungry too?" Max asked, reaching for one of Tessa's chubby hands, the little girl grinning widely at the sight of her brother.

Averie sidled up next to Max, tickling the bottoms of Tessa's feet, "I want-a Tess too" she announced with a pout, the words and their meaning noticed all too painfully by all four adults.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

After eating lunch, everyone settled into the living room for some down time. Tessa had fallen asleep and Max and Averie were worn out from playing. Brooke had brought out some pillows and blankets, making a bed for Max and Averie on the floor so they could lay down while watching a movie. Brooke didn't mind having Haley and Nathan over, because it made it a little bit easier to keep her crying under control. She felt like she had been crying non-stop for the last 24 hours, and it was making her tired. She could tell that Lucas felt that way too, one look into his eyes told her that.

"So, how are you guys doing with everything?" Haley asked nervously, not sure whether it was her place to ask or not. But she couldn't help it, Brooke had been her best friend for as long as she could remember and she was worried about her.

Lucas ran his hand down Brooke's arm to comfort her and she shrugged, "We're just kinda going through the motions."

"We'll get through it though" Lucas added, not wanting Haley to get even more worried and upset than she already seemed to be.

"Do they have any idea of why it happened?" Nathan asked. When Haley had been pregnant both times he had never really acknowledged how lucky they were to have both of their children. He never thought about all of the things that could happen. The things that could've gone wrong.

"He didn't really give an explanation," Lucas told them. Brooke had been such a mess that neither of them really listened to the doctor much anyways.

Haley scooted closer to Nathan on the couch, feeling a sudden need to touch Tessa who was laying on Nathan's chest. She stared down at her baby girl who's golden blonde hair was starting to grow out in small curls. After hearing of Brooke and Luke's tragedy, all she wanted to do was protect her babies.

"If you guys need anything-" Nathan started.

"Thanks Nate" Lucas said, giving him a small smile.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"_Where the hell are you? I just went to your house and you aren't there, I know you aren't working…"_

"I'm still in Tree Hill" Lucas sighed into the phone, not looking forward to where this conversation would ultimately be headed.

"_Tree Hill? Why?" Jake asked in confusion. "Weren't you supposed to be back here this morning?"_

"It's a long story."

"_How long are you staying?" _

"I got the next week off work, but I might stay longer if I need to" Lucas explained.

"_Why? Is everything okay?" Jake asked, his confusion turning to worry._

"Not really" Lucas said tiredly, obviously not in the mood to talk on the phone.

"_What is it? Are Brooke and Avie okay?" As Jake spoke the words, all of the horrible situations he could think of were entering his mind and he was starting to panic._

"Uh," Lucas mumbled, figuring he might as well just tell Jake what had happened, he was bound to find out sooner or later. "Brooke lost the baby." _Lost_, he thought after saying the word. The baby wasn't really lost, if that was the case then sure enough the baby could be found. He couldn't figure out why people always used the word lost in that way, where it certainly didn't fit.

"_Lucas," Jake said through a frown, "I'm so sorry. Is there anything we can do?"_

"I don't think so" Lucas told him almost robotically.

"_How are you guys holding up?"_

"We're hanging in there."

Lucas looked up as Brooke entered the bedroom, "Hey, dinners ready" she announced, giving him a small smile before leaving the room.

"Hey Jake, can I call you back later?"

"_Yeah, that's fine. I think Chae wanted to talk to Brooke. I'm guessing now is a bad time?" Jake asked nervously._

"It's been a long day, Haley and Nate just left, but I'll just tell her to call Chae after we eat and get Ave to bed."

"_Sounds good man, if you need anything-"_

"Yeah, call. I get it" Lucas laughed, "This better stop, we are starting to sound like the girls."

"_Right" Jake laughed, "I'll talk to you after I go crush some beer cans on my forehead."_

After getting off the phone with Jake, Lucas went downstairs, the smell of pizza hitting his nostrils as soon as he was in the hallway. He walked into the kitchen, and wasn't surprised to see a cardboard pizza box opened on the counter and Brooke cutting a slice into bite sized pieces for Averie.

"So this is your idea of cooking dinner?" Lucas asked with a small laugh, circling his arms around Brooke's waist from behind. He kissed the side of her cheek, "You are definitely my kind of girl."

Brooke leaned into Lucas' embrace, closing her eyes momentarily. "Hey, will you go find Sassy? I brought her in here and then she just ran off."

"Sure" Lucas said, kissing Brooke's cheek once more before releasing her. He went back upstairs and looked in the room across the hall from Brooke's. Averie was standing along the far wall, her back to Lucas with Laela laying at her feet. He walked into the room, crouching down behind her so that he was more on her level. "What are ya doin?"

Averie turned around, jumping a little at the unexpected sound of his voice. She turned around and was holding a baby doll wrapped up in her pink blanket. "My babys syeepy" Averie explained in a whisper. "Hers wants hers Daddy."

Lucas smiled at Averie, moving a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear, "Baby does look sleepy, maybe you should put her in the crib and come eat some pizza. _Your_ daddy wants to eat with you."

"Mommy too?" Averie asked hopefully.

"Of course Mommy too" Lucas said, a slight frown overtaking his face as he realized that his daughter was used to having only one parent around. But the look on her face told him that having both parents was definitely a bonus.

Averie smiled, throwing the baby doll on the ground in sudden un-interest. She waited for Lucas to stand up then reached her arms up to her dad. As soon as she was in his arms, she circled her tiny arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "I yove you daddy."

"I love you too baby" Lucas said, trying to stop the tears that suddenly watered his eyes. He ran his hands through Averie's hair, trying to remember everything about this moment.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke and Lucas laid in bed, Averie sound asleep between them. When she threw a temper tantrum, wanting to sleep in the big bed with them, neither of them could protest. Brooke lightly ran her fingers up and down Averie's arm, something that the little girl always loved.

"She's perfect isn't she?" Lucas said, watching as Brooke stared down at their daughter. Brooke nodded and Lucas continued, "We are going to get through this Brooke."

"I know" she said quietly. "It's just hard to believe you know? I never could've imagined it would hurt so much to lose a baby we've never even met."

Lucas reached his hand across Averie, his fingers warm on Brooke's cheek. "It was _our _baby, that's why." Brooke's phone on the bedside table started to ring, and Lucas reached for it quickly, hoping it wouldn't wake Averie. He read the screen, "It's Chae, I forgot to tell you to call her earlier. Do you want to talk?"

"Do you think Jake told her about the baby?" Brooke asked, Lucas had told her that he told Jake, and Brooke was happy, that was one less person _she'd _have to tell. Lucas shrugged and Brooke reached for the phone, opening it as she stood from the bed. "Hey" she said, her voice obviously worn and tired.

"_Hey buddy" Chae said through a frown. "I've been worried about you ever since Jake told me…How are you doing?"_

"Honestly," Brooke said, walking out of the bedroom and down the hall. "Not so good."

"_I figured as much" Chae nodded. "I'm sorry. I know you were excited."_

"Thanks Chae." Brooke said, her voice cracking as she spoke. There was something about hearing the familiar voice of someone who had become a valued friend that made her want to break out in tears all over again.

"_You know I'm hear for you. And I'm sure there will be more Brucas babies, just don't give up." Chae said, trying to sound as positive as she could. "I was thinking that maybe when Lucas has to go back to New York, I could come down there for awhile."_

"No, I couldn't make you do that" Brooke sighed.

"_But I want to. It would give us some time to just hang out, like the old days. And I miss Sassy like crazy. It would be fun" Chae said through a smile, knowing that she would go to Tree Hill whether Brooke agreed or not._

"I guess it wouldn't be _too_ bad to have you here" Brooke smiled.

"_Good, then it's a plan. I guess I'll let you get back to that gorgeous family of yours. I love you Brooke, and if you need anything-"_

"Call, I know" Brooke laughed. "Love you too Chae-bae. I'll talk to you soon."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

* * *

**A/N: What did you think? Make sure and let me know in a review! Thank you to all 39 of you who reviewed, you are all stars!**

**Thank You's**

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- **haha the big bang chapter. Well, at least you knew it was coming! A Debbie downer. Geez Haahaha, that review totally cracked me up. You were the first one to review, so way to go! Thanks for always reviewing! I always watch for yours! I hope you like this chapter!

**Brookedavis911- **I'm so glad you love this story, that is so good to hear! I hope you still like it after all of the drama starts up again! Thanks for reviewing, its always great to hear what you think! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Jem (flipflopgal)- **Well, the chapter is here for you to find out, I hope you aren't too unhappy with me! I'm glad you are still loving all of the brucas and Averie! Thanks for always reviewing! I always look forward to them! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Onetreefan- **I hope you like this chapter, and I hope it doesn't break your heart! Thanks for reviewing, its great to know what you have to say about the chapters! I hope you liked this one!

**Christie (sweetchristie03)- **I always love to read your review and your thoughts on everything that happens in the chapter. By your reviews, its easy to tell you write too because you know what to review on haha. Its also really awesome to see where your head is while you are actually reading the chapter! So thanks for always leaving such detailed reviews. I'm glad you are understanding about the miscarriage and not like hating me for it haha. I'm so glad that you just love Averie! I'm glad you think that I am catching her language and little baby problems (like giving up a pacifier). That is really good to know. Anyways, thanks once again for the long, detailed review! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Grooviejj-othfan88- **Its awesome to know you wait for updates of this story, that really is great to hear. Sorry this one took so long! To answer your question, Lucas signed a two year contract with his job. I'm glad you loved the last chapter, and I hope you liked this one as well. Thanks for reviewing!

**Brucas3- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and the scenes with Owen and Averie. She is pretty dang cute, huh! I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

**Katus- **haha its true, you can just tell when things are too good to be true! Thanks for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Othfan326- **I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter, even though the ending was pretty upsetting. I love reading what you think about all the different parts in the chapters! Amanda and Tiffany will be coming into play probably in the next chapter, or the one after, as well as more Owen, and then you'll get to see more of their stories! It was also good to hear that you liked the scene with Lucas after the phone call to Brooke. Thank you for always leaving such detailed reviews, I always look forward to them and they make me want to keep writing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)- **You would be tearing up hahaha. Just kidding, I probably would be too if I wasn't the one writing all of this. Don't cry, its really okay. You have a really active imagination, and its kinda funny. I think I could write a whole story based on your review! Hahaha pod Brooke…that was a good one. Touché friend. I like how you are making deals, like you'll even accept a baby girl as long as she has it hahaha, you are too funny. I'm glad you were still excited for an update through all the sadness, I hope the same thing happens this time around. I hope you like this chapter, and I hope I did prove you wrong hahaha. That was priceless, good ending with that review. Hahaha. Thanks for always reviewing, they are pretty entertaining!

**Austingirl76- **Its totally cool that you were upset with Brooke in the last chapter, I totally understand! It is a pretty scary thing and you do need to take the appropriate precautions. But I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reviewing, I love hearing your thoughts!

**Brucas1992- **Yes, a very sad chapter, I agree. You are right, things were going extremely well, the calm before the storm… I love hearing what parts you liked and what you thought about the chapter, so thanks for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!

**Dolcegrazia- **hahaha yeah, too good to be true is right. Its funny, as I reread these reviews, a lot of people have been mentioning that. I'm glad you thought the update was good even though it was pretty upsetting. Thanks for always reviewing! I really appreciate it! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas True Love- **Thank you for reviewing! I hope you aren't too upset with me after reading this chapter, and I hope that you liked it!

**Brucas224- **I'm glad you are loving the story! More of everything you love on the way! Thanks for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Chasitybsp- **haha, I'm glad you think Averie's talking is getting even more adorable. I love writing her, so its good to know you like her! Thanks for always reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Tanya (tanya2byour21)- **I'm sorry for keeping you in suspense for so long with this chapter, but I hope you liked it anyways! Thank you for always leaving kind reviews!

**Reina123- **I hope you liked this chapter! I can't wait to hear what you thought about it. Sorry it took me so long to update, I hope the suspense wasn't too bad! Thank you for always reviewing!

**Onetreehillgirl066-** yeah, I guess I am getting predictable! But I knew it wasn't going to be very surprising to most people after reading the first chapter! I'm glad you think Max and Averie are so cute! Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this chapter.

**Brucas3Naley23- **I'm so glad you like reading about the little Brucas family, it is a win win situation as long as they are together, right! Thank you for the review! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you like this one as well!

**Toeee- **Thank you for the review! Its always great to hear from new reviewers. I'm glad that you liked the last chapter! I hope you liked this one as well!

**Steph (Team Davis-Scott)- **I know, I know, its getting pretty upsetting! I'm glad you still thought the chapter was great even though it was pretty sad at the end. Sorry I took so long to update, I guess it was bad timing to get super busy since I left it at a pretty big cliffhanger! I hope you like this chapter! Thanks for always reviewing!

**Whiters- **Thank you for your review, I'm glad you have faith in me that whatever I decide to do that I will write it perfectly. That makes me feel a lot better, seriously. And don't worry, Owen will be coming into play more after this chapter, and you'll learn more about his story! I'm glad you loved the last chapter! I hope you like this one too! Thank you for always reviewing, I love them!

**PeterClaire- **I'm glad you loved the Brucas in the last chapter! I hope you like this chapter as well. Thanks for reviewing, its always great to hear what you think.

**Brucas333- **hahaha sorry it took so long to update! I hope it wasn't too long of a wait. You are right, cliffhangers suck. But they are still kinda fun hahaha. Its that element of suspense! Thanks for always reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Natalie (iluvmedou)- **haha I love your reviews. They always make me laugh, no matter what. Its great. So I'm sorry that the end of that chapter left you open mouthed and teary eyed hahaha. that's so sad. But I'm sure you've recovered, at least I'm sure until reading this chapter you had. I feel honored that you have actually grown attached to this story and enjoyed it all the way through, that really is a great compliment, I never expected that from this story, so thank you. I hope you liked this chapter!!

**Katherine- **First of all, I want to say thank you for leaving such an honest review. I really do appreciate your honesty, and I'm glad you actually tell me what you really think. It was good to read your thoughts on everything that is happening, and it actually made me think long and hard about this chapter before I even wrote it. I'm hoping you are reading this after the chapter. But I decided to go with my original plan, and I really hope you aren't too upset about it, because I do value your oppinion a lot. I promise that everything will work out though, if that makes you feel any better. I'm glad that you loved all of the Averie scenes as usual, you always point that out and I love it. Also I'm glad that you noticed how dedicated Lucas is to his family even though he isn't living with them physically. I'm also glad you noticed the line that Tiffany said to Lucas. You always notice the little details! Thank you so much for the long detailed review, really, I love them and its great to know what you are thinking. I hope you liked this chapter and aren't too upset with me!

**Yana (yaba)- **haha its totally fine that you saw that coming, most people did after reading the first chapter! But its kinda funny you do look for that drama and notice it. That shows that you are a writer haaha. I'm glad you still think the story is good anyways! it's definitely a compliment coming from you. Its true, this story has gone on forever, and I'm starting to feel like its never going to end. You are right, it's a lot of commitment and sometimes it tires me haha. Thank you so much for all of the kind words and compliments, seriously, it means a lot to know that you like my writing. I promise I am going to catch up on your story soon, hopefully I'll have more time once my summer class ends. Anyways, thanks for reviewing! And I hope you liked this chapter!

**Onetreehill329- **I'm so excited that you are finally caught up! And its great to knw you are in love with the story, that is very exciting to hear! Thanks for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Chebelle- **Okay, the opening line to your review totally reminded me of Brooke. It was pretty epic. Hahaha, the goofy grin has been replace by a look of horror, guess I'm doing my job! Kidding haha. Its true, things were going to good, and you know that doesn't last long in Brucas land. Omg its true, this story has gone on so long it is like a sequel. I like totally forgot about the beginning. See this story is just never ending, geez! Reading your review is making me want to re-read this story, its kinda sad haha. I'm glad you have loved reading this extremely long story though, that is pretty awesome. Hahaha I promise that I am still a die hard Brucas fan, and don't worry, it'll all end up good! Mmm shirtless Owen….. I'm glad you still loved the chapter regardless of everything else that happened. Seriously, thank you so much for always reviewing, I always love them. They like make me laugh but are still uplifting haaha. And don't worry about the rambling, I do it to. Obviously. Anyways, thanks for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter and don't want to kill me!

**Superstargirl7- **I'm so glad you found the story! And it makes me even happier that you actually like it! That's great to hear, thank you! I'm glad you liked watching Averie grow up. You are right, the last chapter was totally intense! Thank you for the kind words, those are the best compliments, so really, thank you! I hope you like this next chapter! Thank you for reviewing!

**Jen (courtneylovejason)- **You are seriously insanely busy this summer. Little work-a-holic! Thanks for actually taking the time to read and review, that means a lot! I really am going to read and review your new chapters too, I've just been sooo busy, I've like barely been at a computer, but I just wanted you to know I havent forgotten. Anyways, I'm glad you loved the chapter as well as hated me hahaha, that's about normal. You are too funny. Thanks for the review! Peace Hoe!

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23)- **I'm glad you are still loving this story, no surprise there haha. I'm glad you love little Averie! Thanks for always reviewing and being my little assistant and bringing new readers along haha. I hope you liked this chapter. I'll talk to you soon bif!

**Albluvscbg- **I'm glad you loved that chapter, until the end haha. I don't blame you, it was pretty upsetting. You'll find out the whole Owen deal soon! Thanks for reviewing, I love hearing what you think about the chapters. I hope you liked this one!

**Brucasfan23- **you are pretty good at predicting, I'll just leave it at that haha. Thanks for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!

**Brucasgirl42- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! And wow is a good way to explain the ending. It was pretty intense! I agree, it is so Brooke to just ignore it when something is wrong…especially something that is scary to her. I'm glad you thought so too. And its true, they have already been through a lot. I'm glad you are understanding it all, that makes me happy! Thanks for reviewing! I hope you liked this new chapter!

**Amber (ichliebeBrucas)- **haha I like happy Brucas better than sad Brucas too. I'm glad you liked the last chapter even though it was kind of upsetting. I'm not so sure about that sequel thing, this story has like gone on forever already! I'm considering writing another story though, I just don't know if I'll have time to, but we'll see haha. But I'm glad you think this story is amazing enough to have a sequel. That is good to know! Thank you for always reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Amy (brucas2008)- **Hey! I'm glad you are back and caught up! Drama is coming so get ready hahaaha. Yeah, I was slacking on my update, but don't worry I am okay, just have been extremely busy! I'm hoping to end at 50 chapters, but it may be a little more. This story is just never ending! Haha. I'm glad you loved the last few chapters! It was good to get a review from you! Hope you are having a good summer! Thanks for reviewing!

**BRUCAS1- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Thanks for the review. I hope you like this chapter as well!


	44. Remember To Breathe

**A/N: Wow, sorry it took me so long to get this update out. I just wanted to make sure to get this chapter going in the right direction after the last chapter. The story is going to start moving a lot faster now, and will be jumping forward soon as well. I just wanted to say Thank You for the AMAZING response to the last chapter, I was a little nervous about how you would all respond to it, but wow, I was blown away with all of your reviews. Seriously, thank you so much. The song is called 'Doctor' and is by Cute Is What We Aim For. Now, onto the new chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

_I took the chemicals we took to make our chemistry _

_And I remixed it _

_It didn't fix it _

_All it did was make the memories a blur to me _

**Chapter Forty Four- Remember To Breathe**

It had been five long days since Brooke and Lucas learned of the miscarriage. They had been each others rock, each others shoulder to cry on, and they were somehow getting through the days. Brooke was relieved that Lucas had stayed in Tree Hill, she had needed the extra support especially when it came to caring for Averie. She had been second guessing herself as a mother for days now, and Lucas was the perfect person to reassure her that she was doing a good job.

Lucas had forced her to stay home, and when she argued that her store needed her he called Trish. Trish didn't ask questions, instead taking Lucas' word and flying to Tree Hill to help out with the store for a few days. Between her and Millicent, the store seemed to be running smoothly without Brooke's help. Sure she had been mad at Lucas, refusing to talk to him for five whole hours after he had called Trish, but it didn't take long for her to thank him, knowing that she needed the time off.

Brooke had never known that her emotions could change at the drop of a hat. She went from crying to screaming, from being calm to feeling completely empty. All she had wanted to do was sleep, but one look into her daughters eyes changed her mind. She felt like she had to prove to herself, Averie, and everyone else that she could be a good mom, and spent every possible minute with the little girl.

But as much as being home with Lucas and Averie was helping her, she was starting to feel confined. Lucas had been so worried that his concern was borderline smothering, and Haley and Chae seemed to tag team her with phone calls and pre-made dinners. She felt like she was holding her breath under water while fighting to get to the surface for air.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

It was Thursday afternoon and Brooke was trying to keep her head cleared while going through the motions of her new life. She knew that everything would go back to normal eventually, and that thought freaked her out. She didn't want to forget.

As Brooke walked up the stairs, she heard Averie's cries coming from the bathroom. Lucas had really stepped in, becoming the live in dad that Averie craved and Brooke had wished for. But he had stepped in on a weekly routine that he wasn't a part of, and it took a little bit of adjusting for everyone.

"You're using the wrong brush" Brooke said plainly, trying to hold in her laughter as he watched Lucas try to brush through Averie's hair. "She likes the one with the rainbow colored handle."

Averie immediately squirmed from her spot on the counter, reaching her arms out to Brooke as soon as she heard her moms voice.

Lucas looked between his fiancé and his daughter, realizing that he should know that.

"Momma!" Averie gulped in between cries, her cheeks red as fat tears rolled down them.

Brooke stepped in the bathroom, standing beside Lucas and wrapping her arms around Averie who was squirming on the countertop. She kissed the top of Averie's head, the little girl starting to calm as soon as her mom was next to her.

"It's fine Luke" Brooke soothed, reaching a hand out to rub his arm. "She's kind of testy when it comes to hair." Brooke dropped her hand from his arm, pulling open a drawer that was filled with hair things fit for a little girl. She lifted Averie's brush, "Here, try this one."

Averie smiled immediately at the sight of her brush, the one that didn't pull at her hair. Lucas was unusually quiet, and nervous as he brushed through his daughters hair. As Lucas brushed Averie's hair with the correct brush, the tiny girl had forgotten her dad's mistake and started talking to him with animation.

"I'm gonna go outside and get some air" Brooke told Lucas. She tickled Averie's sides and squeezed Luke's arm before disappearing out of the bathroom.

As soon as Brooke stepped out her front door, she exhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of warm summer air and fresh cut grass. She stepped off of her porch, her fingers sinking into the prickly green grass in her lawn. She sat down in the grass, squinting as the sun shone hot overhead.

During the last few days Brooke had craved having a few moments like this to herself. She needed time to think, time to process what had happened, and time to remember everything in her life that she was lucky to have. She knew that Lucas was hurting too, maybe just as much as she was, but she felt like he was hiding from his pain by taking care of her. She knew that he was staying close to her because he was worried and he loves her, but she still couldn't help but feel like she was being babysat.

When she heard a door open, she looked up, figuring that Lucas would be coming out to find her. But when she turned to her house, the door was closed and the porch was empty.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Owen asked, walking down the sidewalk between their two houses and up Brooke's driveway.

Brooke looked up at him and gave him a small smile. She hadn't talked to Owen for almost a week. For all Owen knew, her family was still growing into a family of _four_.

He sat down in the grass next to her, picking the long blades. "You know," he said, looking at Brooke with a smirk on his face. "There is this really great thing that was invented. Its called a lawnmower and you should Google that shit."

Brooke rolled her eyes, not able to help the smile that formed on her face. "Thanks," She said, her voice quiet and raspy.

"For what?" Owen asked with furrowed eyebrows. "I was expecting one of your _know-it-all comebacks_, not a thank you."

Brooke sighed, straightening her legs in front of her and leaning back onto her hands. She looked out into the street in front of her, watching as a single car passed by. "Thanks for treating me like I'm a normal person and not a train-wreck."

Owen reached a hand out, shoving Brooke lightly on the shoulder. "A normal person? I'd say you are more whimsical than normal…" He nodded his head, giving her one of his winning smiles, "And I mean that in an endearing way."

Brooke shrugged her shoulders, and instead of responding with one of her usual witty comments, she just started straight out in front of her, happy that Owen was still acting normal around her.

Owen turned so that he was facing her, "What's going on? I've lived next door to you long enough that you don't know what the word _quiet _means, you talk like its going out of style."

"I guess sometimes its just refreshing to sit in silence."

Owen nodded slowly, "Okay, stop beating around the bush and just tell me what's going on in Brooke World. You are distant, and I haven't seen you in a week. That and the fact that Lucas is here longer than his conventional weekend stays and I figured something is going on."

Brooke bit on her bottom lip, relishing in the last few moments that Owen still thought of her in the same way he did before last Saturday. "I lost the baby" she mumbled, looking down at her hands as she twirled the engagement ring around her left ring finger.

Owen immediately wrapped an arm around Brooke's shoulder, letting her fall into his embrace. "You are a fighter," he whispered in her hair, "You'll get through this, I know you will."

Brooke lifted a finger, wiping the tears from her eyes before they spilled onto her cheeks. She leaned into Owen, relieved that he hadn't said _'I'm sorry' _or _'is there anything I can do'_ yet.

He squeezed her shoulders, "The baby wasn't ready yet, but it will be, you'll see."

Brooke closed her eyes, her head resting on Owen's shoulder. "Thanks Owen."

"Hey, there you are" Lucas said, stepping onto the front porch. He was faced with Brooke and Owen's backs and was surprised to see her leaning on him while his arm was wrapped around her tightly.

Brooke and Owen both jumped at the sound of Luke's voice, neither realizing that he had even come outside. Owen removed his arm from Brooke's shoulders and stood from the ground as Brooke turned around and faced Lucas.

"If you need to talk, you know my number" Owen said, smiling down at Brooke. "Now get back to your full time job of driving everyone crazy" he winked, walking back down the driveway and towards his own house.

Brooke stood from the grass and walked towards Lucas, immediately falling into his open arms. She wrapped her arms around Luke's waist, holding onto him with all of her strength as she breathed in his musky scent.

He in turn slinked his arms around her, slowly rubbing circles on her back. "I was wondering where you went" He said softly, placing a soft kiss on her temple. "You know" he murmured, staring down into her hazel eyes, "just looking at you _still _makes my heart skip a beat."

"Mmm," Brooke sighed, standing on her tippy toes and biting her tongue, "Is that so?" She asked in a raspy whisper before capturing his lips with hers.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

As Lucas made dinner later that night, Brooke sat at the table doing a project with Averie. The two and a half year old got restless easily, and Brooke had learned quickly that life was much easier when Averie was kept busy.

"Mommy" Averie squeaked, pulling on Brooke's arm, "I can use-a gyitter now? I not wants stickey's."

Brooke held a bottle of glitter glue in her hand, keeping it out of Averie's reach so that they wouldn't have a glitter catastrophe. Brooke pushed the three puffy stickers that remained on the table towards Averie, "You have three more stickers and then you can use the glitter."

Averie furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips together in frustration, "I not yike them" she frowned, pushing the stickers back towards Brooke.

"That's fine" Brooke shrugged, "Then I guess you don't need to use the glitter."

Averie grunted, reaching for the remaining stickers.

Lucas looked up from the stove, "Have you talked to Chae? Is she still planning on coming."

"Yeah" Brooke sighed, "I told her she didn't need to, but she insists. Her plane gets here Saturday night. She didn't even get a round-trip ticket because she doesn't know how long she's staying. She's crazy."

"I think it will be good for you to see her" Lucas said, picking up a wooden spoon and stirring the corn that was resting on the stovetop.

"I maked a picture for Sae" Averie announced proudly, pointing to the paper that she was working on.

"And your Aunt Chae will love it" Brooke smiled, kissing Averie on the cheek. "Here Sass, get your popsicle stick" Brooke instructed, squeezing the glitter glue onto Averie's paper and watching as Averie started to spread it around with the stick. Brooke turned her attention back to Lucas, "I don't know. I just don't think everyone should have to put their lives on hold for me. Trish came down her for a few days, and now Chae's coming, and then you…"

"Babe, you don't have be in this alone" Lucas told her with a small laugh, he set the wooden spoon down on the counter and opened the oven to check on his marinated chicken breasts. He closed the door and walked over to the table, linking his fingers through Brooke's and pulling her into a standing position. "Don't feel guilty, you have a lot of people that care about you. And as for me" he said slowly, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her lips, his voice turning more serious, "I don't think I could go through this without you. I _need _to be _here_, I love you and I don't think I could get through this alone."

"I need you here too" she admitted quietly, holding tightly to his fingers.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Averie cheered, turning around in her chair to look at Lucas. "Yook, I maked for Sae!" She pointed a tiny finger towards the paper, the other hand holding a sticky, glitter covered popsicle stick.

"Wow baby" Lucas smiled, crouching down next to Averie who had graduated from a high chair to a booster chair at the table. "That is the prettiest picture I've _ever _seen. How about we hang it on the fridge to dry and you can go help mommy wash hands for dinner?"

"Mommy yike to have help huh?" Averie asked, squinting her eyes just like her daddy.

Lucas unbuckled the strap that was holding her in the booster chair and lifted her onto the ground, "Mommy does like to have help. You have to show her how to make bubbles and get really clean hands."

Averie grinned, nodding at Lucas, obviously pleased with the responsibility. She handed the sticky popsicle stick to her dad and reached for Brooke's hands. "C'mon Mommy, I show you how-a was hands."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The next morning Brooke got up early. It wasn't like she had been sleeping a whole lot lately anyways. She had been pretty restless lately and found herself awake at odd hours in the morning. But today, she decided, was going to be different.

It had been a whole week since she had stepped foot in her store, and she was determined to go in today, even if it was only for a few hours. She was determined to get her life going again, and she figured the busier she was, the easier it would be to keep her mind off of everything.

Brooke was all showered and dressed by 7 am. She was wearing one of her original designs, a Navy and White colored dress that landed just above her knees and was form fitting. Now she just had to find the shoes she was looking for, and it was proving to be a challenge. She was trying to be quiet as she dug around in her closet, she didn't want to wake up Lucas, or Averie for that matter.

"Aha!" Brooke grinned, finding one of the Navy and Gold pumps she was looking for. "Now where is the other one?" She whispered to herself, setting the one shoe aside while looking for the other.

"Mmm" Lucas groaned, sitting up in bed and letting the blankets fall to his lap. He lifted a hand, rubbing his tired eyes. "Why are you awake so early?" he asked, a yawn escaping his mouth.

Brooke turned around, surprised to see Lucas awake in bed. She stood from the ground, holding a shoe in each hand. "I thought I would drop by the store today after breakfast" Brooke told him, walking towards the bed and dropping her shoes to the ground. She climbed onto the foot of the bed, crawling towards Lucas and sitting in front of him. She ran her hands across his bare chest, looking down as her fingers traveled his skin. "I kinda miss it, ya know? The break was great, but I think I'm ready to slowly get back into the swing of things."

Lucas nodded, understanding where she was coming from but still nervous about her going back to work. He ran his fingers along her arms, stopping at her wrists and holding onto her fingers. "If you are ready to go back, then I think you should."

Brooke smiled, a little bit surprised that Lucas was agreeing with her. "I'm not going in for very long" Brooke promised, leaning forward and kissing Lucas lightly. "Besides, it will give you and Avie some bonding time."

Lucas couldn't help but smile as he stared at Brooke, the only times he had seen her happy like this in the last week was when she was with Averie, and it was refreshing.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Ouch daddy!" Averie glared, wiggling around in her car seat as Lucas tried to buckle her in.

"Can you hold still for like two seconds?" Lucas asked, trying to bargain with the little girl. He had never realized how much work it was to take care of a two year old, and he didn't know how Brooke took care of Averie and ran a business all by herself. Just the idea made him worship the ground she walked on.

Averie kicked her feet out in front of her, one of the sparkly purple flip-flops flying off her foot and hitting Lucas in the shoulder. Averie immediately started to giggle, the dimples in her cheeks showing, and soon Lucas was laughing with her.

As soon as the laughter died down, Averie sat still in her seat finally allowing Lucas to buckle her in.

"There we go" Lucas grinned triumphantly, feeling good about himself after getting the squirming two-year old buckled in. "Now, we can finally go."

Lucas stood up, resting his hands on his hips and straightened his back from being crouched into the backseat.

"Daddy" Averie whined, right before Lucas shut the back door of the car. Lucas bent over, looking in at Averie. "I wants my cuppy" Averie said plainly, moving her shoulders up and down.

Lucas nodded, "Right. Your cuppy." He reached in the front seat for the bag he packed and started searching through its contents. How could he forget her sippy cup? He looked at Averie, and sighed at her big blue eyes. "Alright, stay right there."

He ran into the house, and was back outside in moments. He got in the drivers seat, handing a blue and red sippy cup to his daughter. "Alright kiddo, we ready to go?"

"Uh yeah!" Averie grinned, holding her cup close to her as she kicked her feet excitedly.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

As soon as Brooke stepped into her store she couldn't help but smile. She was happy to see that the place was still up and running instead of blazing up in flames. Being surrounded by all of her designs in her store was refreshing. There were a few customers shopping around and one of her employee's helping a customer with a dress. She stepped farther into the store, smiling when Millicent looked up from the register and noticed her.

"Brooke!" Millicent grinned, resting the phone back in its cradle and rushing towards her friend. "It's so good to see you!"

"You have no idea how great it is to see you!" Brooke smiled back, throwing her arms around Millicent. "How have things been going? I feel like I've been away forever."

"Its only been a week" Millicent laughed, "And things have been going just fine. You deserve a break every once in a while ya know."

Brooke nodded, "So, what needs to be done? Have you already gone through the days receipts?"

"We've only been opened for an hour, we usually don't go through receipts till closing" Millicent laughed, resting a hand on Brooke's shoulder. "But we did get a new shipment in of the white and lavender sundresses, they have been flying off the shelves. So if you want to bring those out that would be really helpful."

Brooke smiled widely, happy to have something to do. "I think I can handle that. Thanks Millie."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke left the store at lunchtime, feeling like a new person. Staying busy was exactly what she needed to stay sane.

As she pulled up to her house, she was happy when she saw Lucas sitting on the porch and Averie playing in the driveway. Brooke parked her car against the curb, waving at Lucas when he stood from the porch.

"Mommy, yook I gots a bike!" Averie grinned, stopping at Brooke's feet as she walked up the driveway. Averie was sitting on a tiny pink and purple bike, it didn't have pedals, instead Averie used her feet to make it go.

"Wow Sass," Brooke smiled back at her, "Where did you get a bike from?"

"Daddy gots it!" Averie exclaimed, "Watch Momma, watch I's can go!"

Brooke watched as Averie walked her feet along the ground, driving the tiny bike away from her. "Good job girly!" Brooke cheered, giving Averie a thumbs up when she looked back. Brooke walked towards Lucas, linking her hands around his neck. "You got her a bike huh?" She smiled, leaning towards Lucas and kissing him slowly.

"She has your temperament" Lucas smirked, "It's hard to say no to her."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment" Brooke winked, laughing when Lucas spun her around in his arms and kissed her again.

He linked his fingers through hers, leading her to the porch where they both sat down to watch Averie race around the driveway.

"So," He started, releasing her fingers from his and wrapping his arm around her waist. "How was the store?"

Brooke sighed happily, "It was really good. It just felt good to be back in there you know. It's like when I'm there, life is how it used to be, and it just felt right to be back."

"Are you sure its not too soon?" Lucas asked wearily, squinting his eyes as he looked at her.

Brooke shrugged, "We have to go back to the real world sometime." Brooke was silent for a few seconds, and she rested her hand on Lucas' thigh before starting again. "It might be time for you to go back to the real world too. Your week off of work is almost up."

"They said I could have more time…"

Brooke nodded, "I know. But if we don't try and get back to some kind of normal, then I don't think we are ever going to heal from this."

"I just don't know if I should leave you and Ave. My family is more important and I think I need to be here." Lucas said honestly, starting to wonder why Brooke didn't want him there anymore.

"I know" Brooke said lightly, running her hand along his leg. "And I wish you could just stay and not go back at all. But we both know you have to sooner or later."

Lucas looked away from her for a few seconds before turning back, "I guess I just don't understand why you don't want me here" He said, his voice changing from calm to upset. He stood from the porch, turning to go inside when he heard a high pitched scream followed by shrieking cries coming from the driveway.

"Mooommy!" Averie cried, the word coming out in a hurtful scream.

Brooke was standing in an instant, running to Averie in her heels. Lucas was right behind her, reaching down to pick up his little girl who was crying uncontrollably as she laid on the pavement, her new bike on its side, the wheels still spinning.

"Baby!" Brooke panicked, running her hand along Averie's back as Lucas rushed her into the house.

Averie's cries were slowly subsiding as soon as she was in Lucas' arms.

"Is she okay?" Brooke asked, her voice filled with worry. She had never felt her heart beat so fast in her chest before. "What if she broke something? Is she bleeding? Lucas!"

Lucas sat Averie on the counter next to the kitchen sink, "Stay calm and she'll be calm" Lucas instructed, giving Brooke what he hoped was a comforting smile.

"Mommy" Averie said through hiccups, reaching her arms out to Brooke.

"Come here baby" Brooke said shakily, cradling Averie her arms. "Luke, she's bleeding. There's rubbing alcohol, band-aids and Neosporin in the bathroom cabinet." Brooke instructed, sitting at the table and holding Averie against her. Averie had stopped crying, and was now just laying against Brooke as she ran her fingers through her daughters hair.

Lucas returned a minute later, setting all of his supplies on the counter.

Averie looked up, her face lighting up as she noticed Lucas brought out the box of _My Little Pony _band-aids.

"I gets a ban-aid?" Averie asked, the last few tears running down her cheeks.

Brooke and Lucas both laughed, letting out a sigh of relief at their daughters fascination with band-aids. They never would've known the little girl had been screaming at the top of her lungs just moments earlier.

Brooke sat Averie on the counter, "Yup, you get a band-aid crazy girl." Brooke smiled, tickling Averie's sides and making her smile and wiggle.

Lucas kneeled down so that he was eye level with Averie's knees. "Looks like you scraped yourself up pretty bad" He told Averie who was holding tightly to the box of band-aids.

"Are you sure she didn't break anything?" Brooke asked nervously, biting on her bottom lip.

"Babe," Lucas laughed, putting rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball so he could clean up the scrapes. "If anything was broken I don't think she would be consumed in a box of pony band-aids…"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

On Sunday morning as Brooke scrubbed her kitchen floor, she couldn't help but notice how quiet it was. Not that she expected a whole lot of noise, it was barely after 6 am, and Averie never woke up before 7:30.

She couldn't help her mind from wandering, jumping to and from all different topics. The baby was always on the back of her mind, but was starting to pop to the front less and less. She was feeling excited and nervous, because she had decided to start her normal work schedule again the next morning. She had been up until the late hours of the night before finishing the sketches for her fall line.

But the one thing that she couldn't keep from entering her mind was the way she had left things with Lucas the day before. On Friday after Averie's mishap with the new bike, they had postponed the topic of him leaving. But on Saturday morning, Brooke had tried her hardest to convince Lucas that it would be fine for him to go back to New York, and that had made him upset. They had argued about it for awhile, until Lucas finally gave in and purchased a plane ticket to leave later that afternoon.

Brooke didn't really understand why Lucas had been so upset, he had to get back to work sooner or later. She was already feeling claustrophobic with everyone surrounding her and watching her so closely that she couldn't handle the idea of Lucas and Chae both being there. It was hard to get used to having Lucas around when she knew he was just going to have to leave again anyways.

"What are you doing up so freaking early?" Chae asked tiredly, rubbing at her eyes as she walked into the kitchen and interrupted Brooke's thinking.

"Hey! Wet floor!" Brooke practically shouted, stopping Chae before she stepped onto the newly clean tiles.

Chae held up her hands, stepping back. "Whoa, sorry Turbo. Didn't realize you started cleaning, let alone at six in the morning."

Brooke rolled her eyes, standing from the floor and throwing her sponge into the sink that she had filled with soapy water. "Well, someone has to do it" Brooke shrugged, placing her hands on her hips. "You try living with a two year old, floors are _always _sticky and there is _never _time to clean them properly."

Chae sat down at the kitchen table, straightening the place mat in front of her. "I'm not sure if its Averie as much as it is Lucas that has you cleaning at odd hours."

Brooke's eyes widened, "Lucas?" She laughed, "Uh, Chae, if you hadn't realized, he left before you even got here. I know you can be slow sometimes, but I didn't think you were a complete idiot."

"Yeah I know that" Chae said, giving Brooke a funny look. "I meant the fact that you haven't talked to him since he left…"

"And you would know that how?" Brooke asked with a raised eyebrow, sitting in a chair next to Chae.

"Like you said, I'm not a complete idiot. You've been brooding ever since I got here, plus the fact that there were no annoyingly sweet goodnight phone calls last night."

Brooke furrowed her eyebrows at Chae. Sometimes she hated that Chae seemed to read her so well. It was hard enough to forget about her and Luke's argument, especially when Chae was now brining it up.

"Why don't you just call him?" Chae asked, shrugging a shoulder. When Brooke didn't answer, Chae decided to drop the subject. "Is this floor dry now or what? If I don't get some coffee and soon then I'm going to be useless for the rest of the day."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke paced around her store, the cordless phone tucked between her ear and her shoulder. It was nearly three in the afternoon, and the store usually quieted down around this time. Millicent was cleaning out the dressing rooms, and Brooke was talking to Trish who was in New York overseeing the new fall line.

"So you really think the sketches are okay? I know it took me forever to finish them, and I just hope they're good enough…"

"_Brooke, they are amazing. I don't know how you do it, but you never fail to amaze me. We've just gone over all of the fabric swatches you sent, and we like where you are headed. If you weren't noticed before, you definitely are going to be now."_

Brooke couldn't help but smile, "What do you mean?"

"_I just got an email from an editor at Elle Magazine, they want to do an interview and a nine page spread of your clothes."_

"Ohmygod!" Brooke squealed, unable to stop herself from clasping a hand over her mouth and jumping up and down. "Nine pages! Of my clothes! Wake me up cause this has got to be a dream."

Millicent walked over to Brooke, suddenly intrigued by the squealing and jumping. She stood still next to Brooke, waiting to hear what seemed to be great news.

"_Its definitely not a dream. They want you up here next week, so I hope you can work that into your schedule. We want to feature some of your new fall pieces, so we are working over time up here to get some of the items ready in time."_

"Wow," Brooke sighed, not knowing what else to say.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Suddenly, Lucas couldn't stand New York. He had grown up there basically his whole life, living just outside the city. He had always cherished his time in the big city, but now he wanted to be anywhere else.

The only thing that he was looking forward to was the football pre-season. He would give anything to be sitting in bleachers or backstage in locker rooms right now. Even if it would only take his mind off of everything temporarily.

He didn't know what to think anymore. His mind was consumed with all things Brooke, and usually that was his favorite thing to think about, but now he didn't know what to think. He didn't understand why she had wanted him to leave so badly. And not only that, ever since they had found out about the baby, she seemed to be like two different people completely. One minute all she wanted was to be near him, and the next she distanced herself from everyone. He didn't know what to do to help her, and ever since he had left Tree Hill, things just seemed to be getting worse.

They hadn't talked much in the last few days since he had been back in New York. They mainly had short phone calls, usually in the evenings. He would talk _to _Averie for most of the time, and when he talked to Brooke she only talked _about _Averie.

But Chae was there now, and hopefully the bond she shared with Brooke would be able to help Brooke more than he could. All he wanted was his Pretty Girl back, but slowly he seemed to be losing her.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

When Brooke got home on Wednesday, she couldn't keep the 100-watt smile off of her face. She stepped out of her car, and practically skipped to the front door. Finally, something good was happening. She couldn't wait to tell Chae about the magazine.

"Hey, what are you so happy about?" Owen called from next door, his crooked smile beaming towards her.

Brooke bit on her lip, smiling as she rushed towards the white picket fence that separated their houses. "Well," She grinned, "If you must know."

"Oh, I must" Owen said with a nod.

"Elle Magazine wants to interview me and show off all my clothes…Shocking, right?" Brooke gleamed, winking at Owen.

"Well Firecracker, its not that shocking. I have been in your store, and if I didn't know you, I wouldn't believe you came up with all of those clothes."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Brooke smirked.

"That your clothes are amazing, and you deserve it all."

"Thanks Owen" Brooke smiled, "That means a lot. Now I would love to sit and chat, but I miss my baby like crazy. If you didn't have to be at the bar, I'd invite you in for dinner."

"Work does call" Owen nodded, "But thanks anyways. Tell Averie hi for me."

Brooke nodded, waving at Owen before skipping back towards her front door. As soon as she opened it, she heard tiny feet running through the house towards her. This was her favorite part of coming home and the reason she woke up every morning.

"Mommy!" Averie screamed, turning the corner and running straight into Brooke's arms.

Brooke hugged Averie against her, breathing in the scent of Johnsons baby shampoo. "I missed you Munchkin. Did you have fun with Chae today?" Brooke asked, lifting Averie in her arms and resting the little girl on her hips as she stood up.

"We pyayed outside and we pyayed with pyay-dough and we pyay a babies!" Averie announced, her voice full of excitement and joy.

"Sounds like you had a busy day" Brooke smiled, rubbing her nose against Averie's.

"So," Chae called, meeting Brooke in the kitchen. "It took me awhile, but I figured out how to light your grill. Me and Sassy went to the store and got hot dogs and hamburgers and Squeeze-Cheese that Averie insisted on. Now, I know its kind of early for dinner, but we got everything to make ice cream Sundays, so I figured that we probably should eat early."

"I gots ice ceam!" Averie reiterated, placing her hands on each of Brooke's cheeks and turning her moms head so she could look at her.

"Wow, looks like you guys have been planning" Brooke smiled. "I guess we better get to cooking then huh?"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke pushed the food around on her plate as they sat outside staring at the sunset. Averie had finished eating and was now chasing Laela around the yard, the small dog barking happily at the attention.

"You've barely eaten," Chae observed, "And here I am shoving my face. Come to think of it, I haven't seen you eat much since I got here."

"I did too eat" Brooke pouted, pushing her nearly full plate away from her. This was the at least the third time Chae had brought up her eating habits in the last four days, and it was starting to get annoying. Luckily, Brooke had the perfect thing to change the subject. "So, I've been dying to tell you. Trish called today-"

"I _really _hope this is good news" Chae breathed out, cutting Brooke off.

"If you'd let me finish you'd find out" Brooke laughed. "Elle Magazine wants to do an interview and a _nine page _spread of _my _clothes in their magazine. They want me to fly up to New York next week."

"B! That's awesome!" Chae grinned, pouncing out of her chair and onto Brooke, hugging her friend. "That is really amazing. I always knew you'd be the next big thing. And to think, I practically helped you start it all."

"I started it in High School" Brooke laughed, "But you did help me get it to where it is today, that's for sure."

"So" Chae said, waving her hands in front of Brooke. "This is perfect. You can fly to New York for the interview, surprise Lucas and work out all of your guys' angst and issues while getting amazing publicity for your clothes. You can leave Ave here with me, and that way you and Luke can have all the make-up sex you need."

Brooke rolled her eyes, "It would be a good idea if things weren't unbelievably weird between us."

"Its only weird because you guys make it weird."

"I don't know. It would be nice to have a couple days with him alone, I just don't think now is the right time for that. Not with the way we left things, plus, I don't think I should leave Ave for that long."

"I'm practically the kids second mom" Chae said with a wave of her hand. "And now is the right time for a little surprise rendezvous, especially with how you left things."

"I don't know" Brooke sighed.

Averie ran towards them, stopping in front of Brooke and lifting her arms. "Momma, I sits on you yap?"

"Of course" Brooke grinned, lifting Averie onto her lap and running her fingers through her daughters soft brown hair. She watched as Averie kicked her little legs out in front of her, the pink polish shining on her toe-nails. Averie immediately held onto Brooke's hands, linking her tiny fingers through her moms.

"I don't know why you think this is such a big deal. Come on Brooke, its Lucas. You two are like the ultimate power couple, not to mention you've been through everything. This is just a little bump in the road, and you need to get over it and move on" Chae reasoned.

As if on cue, Averie lifted up Brooke's left hand and wrapped her fingers around Brooke's ring finger. "Momma, yook at you bying!"

"Bling?" Chae laughed with wide eyes. "Only you would teach your daughter that diamonds are bling!"

"I can wear it?" Averie asked, scrunching up her tiny face as she looked at her mom.

"I don't think so baby" Brooke laughed, "That bling was a lot of money."

"Yeah, that bling that _Lucas _gave you. More of a reason for a surprise trip to New York…"

_I'll be your doctor _

_I'll be your cure _

_I'll be your medicine and more _

_Yeah you can rest assure _

_I'm your doctor, I'm your cure _

* * *

**A/N: What did you think? Don't forget to review and let me know! You guys are the best! Also, I just wanted to let you know that I posted a one-shot called Safe Ride Home, and you should all check it out if you haven't!**

**This time for thank you's, I'm going to just respond to them through the actual reviews, so watch for the thank you in your e-mails. I'm doing this for space reasons considering there were **_**Forty-Three **_**of you that actually reviewed. That is the most reviews I have ever had from a single chapter, so I can't thank you guys enough for your patience, love, and support. I will write anonymous thank you's on here of course.**

Thank You To: 

**Jem (flipflopgal) **_onetreefan_**BRUCAS1 **_brucas3_** Katrina (brucasforever03) **_onetreehill239 _**chasitybsp **_dolcegrazia _**Brucas True Love **_ichliebeBrucas _**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE **_Tanya (tanya2byour21) _**brucas333 **_Brucasfan23 _**reina123 **_PeterClaire _**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23) **_Brucasgirl42 _**Yana (Yaba) **_Whiters _**brookedavis911 **_superstargirl7 _**othfan326 **_Anna (dancefever0234) _**onetreehillgirl066 **_Natalie (iIuvmedou) _**Sydney (LoVeBrucas) **_Katherine _**IamCaroline **_Grooviejj-othfan88 _**widdy89 **_princtongirl _**Jen (courtneylovejason) **_TeamSophia _**Steph (Team Davis-Scott) **_Chebelle _**Brucas3Naley23 **_Cass (CheerandBrood323) _**Audra (albluvscb) **_queen08 _**Amy (brucas2008) **_Moviegirl1616 _**Brucas1992**

**Anonymous Reviews:**

**BRUCAS1: **I'm so glad you still liked the last chapter even though it was pretty sad! Thanks for reviewing, its great to hear your thoughts on the story and what you want to see! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas3: **Thank you for your review on the last chapter. It was very reassuring seeing as I was pretty nervous about how the last chapter would be received. I'm glad that you thought that I wrote their pain really well, I was trying so hard to capture it all! I'm glad that you thought it was realistic even though it was really sad! So thank you once again for your review! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Katherine: **I didn't think you'd be so excited about the last chapter, so I wasn't really surprised when reading your review. Thank you for being honest with me, that really is appreciated! I feel bad that you didn't like what happened in the last chapter, but I hope that you will still read and hopefully be okay where the story ends up. Thank you for your compliments though, I'm glad you thought I did a good job showing their emotions, even though it was extremely hard for you to read. I'm glad you at least liked reading about Averie! Once again thank you for the honest review, I'm glad that you let me know how you honestly felt about the chapter. There are still a couple bumps in the road, but I hope you will like the ending! Thanks for always reviewing and talking me through my writing when I need the help! I hope you liked this chapter more than the last.

**Widdy89: **Wow! I must say, I am amazed you got through all 43 chapters in 2 days. That is pretty impressive, I must say! Seriously, I have to thank you for your extremely kind review! It really was just good to read, and very uplifting. I'm so glad that you like my story and took the time to read and catch up! That really is pretty great. I love having new readers and reviewers, so it was great to hear what you thought about the story so far. Thanks for letting me know what you thought about all the different characters and parts of the story, I hope you continue to enjoy reading it! Thanks once again for the review! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas3Naley23: **I kinda figured most of you would see that coming! I'm glad that through all of the sadness, you still liked the chapter. That really was great to hear, so thank you. Thank you for always reviewing, and I hope you liked this chapter!


	45. The Sharp Hint Of New Tears

**A/N: Hey everyone! Look, it's a new chapter and it didn't take me nearly two weeks to get out, haha. Thank you to everyone who reviews, it really is what keeps this story going. I hope you guys like this chapter. The song is called 'Walk Away' and is by Ben Harper. Enjoy!**

* * *

_And it's so hard to do  
And so easy to say  
But sometimes, sometimes  
You just have to walk away  
Walk away  
And head for the door_

_…_

_They say if you love somebody  
Then you have got to set them free  
But I would rather be locked to you  
Than live in this pain and misery_

**Chapter Forty Five- The Sharp Hint Of New Tears**

Brooke was getting nervous for her trip to New York. She had to be at the airport early the next morning, and was no where near ready. Chae had talked her into leaving Averie, and Brooke was having anxiety about it. She had never been away from Averie for more than twenty-four hours, and she didn't know what she would do without the little girl. Her life revolved around her daughter, and being away from her for two nights was going to be difficult.

"Momma" Averie said through a giggle, looking up from her spot sitting inside Brooke's large suitcase. "I got you neck-yases" Averie said with a grin, putting several of Brooke's necklaces around her neck.

"Good job, you hold onto those for me while I find my jeans" Brooke said, giving Averie a thumbs up for helping. Brooke rummaged around in her closet, and then came out of it holding out two pairs of dark jeans that looked almost identical. "I can't decide" Brooke said, pursing her lips together, she held the jeans up, "Which ones do you think I should take?"

"Hmm" Averie thought, her tiny fingers tapping her legs. "I yike those ones" She decided, pointing to the ones on the left.

Brooke grinned in agreement and folded the chosen pair of pants. She crouched down next to the suitcase, placing the jeans inside beside Averie and then kissing her daughters forehead. "What would I do without you?"

"You gots my byanky?" Averie asked, pursing her lips together just like Brooke had moments before.

"I have no idea where your blanky is" Brooke admitted. She lifted Averie out of the suitcase, "How about we take a break from packing and go get a snack."

Averie smiled, her little dimples popping out. "Okay mommy" she said, taking off the necklaces she had been wearing and reaching for Brooke's hand. "Where daddy go?" Averie asked as they walked down the hall.

Brooke bit on her lip, her breath hitching every time Averie asked the question. "Remember he went home on the airplane?" Lucas hadn't been able to come to visit the past weekend because of work, and Averie had definitely noticed. "But he'll come see us soon, kay baby?"

Averie nodded, letting go of Brooke's hand and lifting her arms for Brooke to lift her. Averie had been extremely clingy lately. Ever since Lucas had gone back to New York after his extended stay, Averie had stayed close to Brooke. Brooke didn't mind though, she needed Averie just as much.

Averie tangled her fingers in Brooke's hair as soon as she was in her moms arms. "You's go on-a pyane?" Averie asked.

"In the morning" Brooke said, trying to keep the sadness out of her voice. "And you get to have a sleepover with Aunt Chae!"

"I's gets syeepover" Averie repeated, her bright blue eyes lighting up just at the thought.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The next morning Chae woke up early to drive Brooke to the airport. She walked upstairs to make sure Brooke was awake, and wasn't surprised to find Averie's bedroom door open. Her room was still dark inside, but Chae figured Averie had crawled into bed with Brooke in the middle of the night like she had been doing lately. But when Chae crept past the pink bedroom, she noticed Brooke standing by Averie's crib.

Chae leaned against Averie's doorway and whispered "She'll be okay ya know."

Brooke turned around suddenly, surprised to see her friend standing there. Brooke shrugged, walking away from the crib that should have been replaced with a toddler bed awhile ago. "I'm sure she will be okay, I'm just not sure if I will be. How can I just _leave _her?"

Chae laughed, wrapping an arm around Brooke's shoulders and leading her down the hall. "Stop being so dramatic. You are going to be gone for two nights, I hardly call it _leaving_."

"I just need her though, its hard ya know." Brooke sighed, leaning her head on Chae's shoulder.

Chae nodded, but she really didn't know what Brooke was going through. She thought that when she came to Tree Hill, it would be a reunion of roommates. That they would stay up late and talk and laugh, that it would be like it was _before_. But Brooke had changed, she seemed broken and numb. Chae couldn't imagine what Brooke was going through after losing her baby, and she knew that's why Brooke was so attached to Averie right now. But Chae also knew that if Brooke and Lucas didn't have some time together to work through their pain _together_, that ultimately that pain would drive them apart.

"So are you all ready to go?"

Brooke shrugged, "Yeah, as ready as I'm going to be. Me and Ave finished packing last night, I just hope that I remembered everything."

Chae couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, so a two year old is your packing partner-"

"She's two and a half" Brooke glared, cutting Chae off.

"Okay, two _and a half _year old. And you hope you remembered everything? You aren't going to be gone very long and you know when you get to the interview _they _will dress you for the photo shoot."

"How come you are on _my _case all of a sudden?" Brooke asked with a raised eyebrow. "You keep practically harassing me about talking to Lucas, and I've barely heard you talk to Jake in a week and a half since you got here."

It was Chae's turn to glare at Brooke, "Maybe I talk to him while you're at the store!"

Brooke laughed, pouring herself a cup of coffee, "Probably because you haven't. I'm not dumb. Plus, Averie is my little spy and she would've told me. What's going on with you guys? Maybe you should be going back to New York too…"

Chae groaned, pulling her feet onto the kitchen chair and wrapping her arms around her legs. "Well, we're kinda taking a break" Chae told her, straining her face in preparation for Brooke's response. "So, I should probably just stay here…"

"Why are you guys taking a break?" Brooke nearly shouted in surprise.

"We are just at the point in our relationship where we need to be more serious or just leave it be" Chae explained, resting her chin on her knees. "We either need to take the next step or move on… We're just taking this time apart to think about what we want. That's not why I came here, but it happened to be perfect timing."

Brooke nodded, sipping on her coffee mug. She walked over to the table and sat down next to Chae, pushing Averie's Strawberry Shortcake place mat out of her way. "When did boys get so complicated?" Brooke frowned.

"They've always been complicated honey" Chae smiled, resting a hand on Brooke's shoulder.

"Mommy" Averie called, her voice still consumed in sleep as she walked down the stairs. She stepped into the kitchen, her long silky nightgown brushing over her tiny feet. "Mommy" She said again, rubbing at her eyes and then reaching for Brooke.

"Morning baby" Brooke smiled, lifting Averie into her lap, the little girl instantly curling into her. "How come you are up so early?" Brooke asked, smoothing down Averie's crazy hair that seemed to be sticking in every direction.

"I's not syeepy" Averie said through a yawn, fitting her head in the spot between Brooke's shoulder and neck.

"You look pretty sleepy" Chae laughed, smoothing a hand over Averie's back.

"I just want my mommy" Averie said, her words barely audible because she was slowly starting to close her eyes again. She wrapped an arm around Brooke's neck tightly, instantly winding her fingers in Brooke's hair like she always did, and then she was asleep.

Brooke had to hold back the tears at Averie's words, and mumbled "Maybe I should just take her with me…"

"She'll be fine" Chae promised. "We are going to have so much fun she won't even notice you're gone."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Leaving Averie had been hard. Averie hadn't realized that when they dropped Brooke off at the airport she would be gone for a few nights, so she seemed unphased. She was used to Brooke going to work so she wasn't upset when Brooke left. As soon as Brooke got on the airplane, she couldn't help but cry. But once she got to New York, she was starting to feel a little bit better. There was a driver waiting to pick her up, and she went straight to a trendy café for her interview with Elle Magazine. After the interview was over, she was headed over to the agency that the magazine used to do their photo shoots in. On the drive over she decided to call and check on Averie, and call Lucas as well.

"_Hey" Lucas smiled into the phone as soon as he saw Brooke's name pop up on the tiny screen._

"Hey yourself" Brooke said sweetly, playing with the hem of her jacket. "What are you doing?"

"_I just got home from work, and I'm getting ready to head over to the gym to play basketball with Jake. How are you?" He asked, his voice growing quiet. _

"I'm good, just staying busy. Are you going to be around tonight? I have an appointment to get to, but I think we need to talk…"

"_I'll be home in a few hours so you can call then" Lucas was quiet for a few moments and then decided to add, "I'm worried about you Brooke."_

"Don't be" She told him, trying to make her voice sound confident and reassuring. "We'll talk tonight, work through all of this. I know I haven't been fair to you lately, and I'm sorry. I miss you Luke."

"_I miss you too Pretty Girl" Lucas smiled, glad that Brooke was willing to let him back in. "We'll talk tonight then. Give Ave a kiss for me. And hey, I love you."_

Brooke smiled to herself, "I love you too."

After they hung up the phone, Brooke couldn't help thinking about Lucas. Chae was right, this was exactly what her and Lucas needed. A little alone time to talk, work through their problems, and get back to normal. She couldn't get through her grief alone, and Lucas was the only one that understood her right now. She was stupid for pushing him away, but there was time to fix that. Two whole nights alone to fix that.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Okay, bring those bubble wands over here" Chae instructed, sitting in the grass while she filled up Averie's plastic pool in the backyard.

Averie ran over to Chae, happy to be outside and in her bathing suit. "We's makes bubbles huh Sae!"

"We are gonna make lots and lots of bubbles!" Chae grinned, tickling Averie's sides. "Do you think the pool has enough water?"

Averie held onto the side of the plastic pool, bending over to look in. "Uh yeah! We's swim now kay?"

"No, we aren't swimming in there Sassy" Chae laughed, watching as the bubbles kept growing in the water. She stood from the grass and ran towards the house, turning off the hose. "We put dish soap in there to make bubbles, I really don't think your mom would like you swimming in dish water!"

"We's wash-a dis-es out here?" Averie asked, scrunching up her tiny face.

"No way crazy girl! Your mom would definitely freak if we washed her dishes outside." Chae explained, watching as Averie got bored and ran off, her pigtails bouncing as Laela chased her around the yard. "Hey! Come back here, we need to blow bubbles!"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"So how long is Chae staying with Brooke?" Lucas asked, sitting next to Jake on a bench, both of them exhausted from their game of basketball.

Jake shrugged, setting his water bottle down next to him. "I don't know. She'd probably stay there forever if she could. I swear she can't stand me right now."

"That's normal" Lucas said, "You guys will get over it though."

"I don't know dude. She said that we either take the next step or just be done with it already" Jake said, waving his arms around as he mimicked Chae's words.

"Next step?"

"Yeah, what the hell does that even _mean_?"

Lucas laughed, placing a hand on Jake's shoulder. "Well, you two have been dating seriously for awhile now. I think the next step is a _ring_."

"And look how well that turned out for you and Brooke. You propose and a month later you two are barely talking."

Lucas leaned his head against the wall behind him. "I wish it was as simple as that."

"I'm sorry" Jake said, regretting his words. "I know you two have a lot going on right now."

Lucas nodded, accepting Jake's apology. "I just don't know why she won't let me in. She's hurting and there is nothing I can do to help her because she won't let me."

"She's always been like this Luke, ever since high school. When she's hurting she shuts everyone out, she likes to think she can take care of things on her own." Jake smiled at Lucas tightly, feeling bad that his friends were going through such a rough time. "Brooke Davis is stubborn as hell, but the good thing is, she always comes around if its worth it to her. And she loves you, so I wouldn't worry too much. She just needs a little time to process things, to realize she doesn't _have _to go through this alone, to realize that you will _always _be there for her."

"How many times do I have to tell her that I am always going to be there for her?" Lucas groaned in frustration, squeezing his hands into the basketball.

"I hate to bring this up, because its old news. But you have to remember when she got pregnant with Averie, she needed you and you weren't there. You just can't let her forget that you are here for good now."

Lucas nodded, thinking about what Jake had told him. As much as he didn't like to hear it, Jake was right.

"Well, she called me today and said she wants to talk tonight, so that's a start…"

"See" Jake smiled, clapping Lucas on the back. "You two are going to be fine. Now go hit the showers, you smell like shit."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Averie!" Chae called, "You are so not funny, open this door right now!"

Chae could see Averie through the glass back door. The little brown haired-blue eyed clone of her mother was standing on the other side of the glass, her hands on her belly as she laughed infectiously. After their bubble mania in the backyard, Averie had gone inside, pushed a chair to the back door, stood on the chair and _locked _the door. Leaving Chae outside, her hair and clothes covered in sudsy, oily, bubbles.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Five O' Clock traffic was hell in New York City. Brooke swore they hadn't moved two inches in the last twenty minutes, and she felt like she was about to scream. They still had to drive across town to Luke's house, and at this rate they'd get there by midnight.

Her day had gone extremely well, and she figured that her day was just a preview of how her night with Lucas would go. She was nervous and impatient, ready to see her man. Her hair was still in big, gorgeous waves from the pictures they had taken for the cover of the magazine and the interview on the inside. She had decided to keep the make-up from the photo-shoot on as well, knowing that she herself would never be able to recreate the smokey eye look that the make-up artist had perfected on her eyelids. She looked good, and she felt good. The only thing that was missing was a bottle of wine…and Lucas.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Averie Kendall!" Chae pleaded, chasing the naked two year old around the upstairs floor of Brooke's house. "As much as you don't want it, pajama's come after bath time, and you _have _to wear them!"

"I don't want it!" Averie cheered, finding it hilarious that Chae was chasing her. "No jammas!"

"This is so not a nudist colony!" Chae pouted, finally catching Averie, "Aha! Now you have to get dressed. Then we can get some dinner and finally it will be bedtime."

"I not yike-a syeep" Averie said plainly, scrunching up her little face and shaking her head at Chae as she was being dressed.

"God, you look just like your crazy mom when you do that" Chae laughed, "Now you should show me your broody side like your daddy."

"Where mommy, daddy go?" Averie asked at the mention of her parents names, suddenly remembering that they weren't there.

"On the airplane" Chae told her, "But mommy will be home soon." She could tell that Averie was close to tears, so she smiled at the little girl, "How about ice cream for dinner?"

"Ice ceam?" Averie asked, her tiny dimpled grin returning.

Chae let go of Averie, watching as the little girl ran out of her bedroom and downstairs to the kitchen. "I seriously don't know how your mom does it" She muttered to herself, not realizing until now that raising a two year old was a lot of work.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas sat on his couch, lazily flipping through channels. He had ordered a pizza for dinner, not feeling like cooking and was just waiting for it to arrive. His cell phone was resting on the couch next to him as he anticipated Brooke's phone call. Both the call and his dinner should be coming anytime soon. Unless Brooke waited to call until Averie was asleep, but he was hoping that wasn't the case. He didn't know if he could wait that long to hear the raspy, but soothing voice.

As soon as he rested his feet on the coffee table, his doorbell rang. He jumped up, surprised that the pizza was here. It was rare that they were there on time, but he figured if he wasn't so picky and ordered from one of the closer pizza businesses he wouldn't have to deal with their tardiness. He smiled as he approached the door, and was surprised to open it and not find the pizza delivery guy.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Chae sat on the couch with Averie in her lap. The little girl had calmed down, even eating some of the actual dinner that Chae had made her. Chae ran her hands through Averie's almost dry hair, and hugged the little girl against her. Sitting here, watching a movie with the little girl seemed to make the crazy day worth it.

"Yook Sae" Averie grinned, sitting up straight in Chae's lap, "it's a ti-angle!" She grinned, pointing to the shape on the children's learning video that they were watching.

"Wow Sass" Chae grinned, happy to find that Averie was one of those smart kids. _So she is like Lucas_, Chae thought. They watched as two colors on the screen mixed together, making a new color.

Averie clapped, bouncing up and down on Chae's lap. "I yikes geen!" Averie grinned, watching as the yellow and blue mixed on the screen.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

As soon as the taxi pulled up in front of Lucas' house, Brooke couldn't help but feel excited and relieved. She couldn't believe she was finally here, and the long day and traffic all seemed worth it.

After paying her driver and telling him thank you, she grasped the handle on her suitcase and started to pull it up the walkway. She had felt so lost, and being here now, knowing that Lucas was on the other side of that door somehow made her feel like she had been found.

She was ready to talk to Lucas, she felt bad for being so harsh with him a week and a half ago when he left Tree Hill. She couldn't see past her own hurt to realize that Lucas was hurting just as much. But she was ready now, ready to hold onto Lucas' hand and get through this with him by her side.

She pulled her keychain out of her purse, stopping to smile at the dangling picture frame that held a picture of a smiley Averie. After running a finger over the tiny picture, she unlocked Lucas' front door with the key she kept. When she pushed the door open, the living room was empty and quiet. She wasn't surprised, they never really used this room instead using the family room in the back with the big sofas and the huge TV. The kitchen light was on, and the smell of pizza was making her stomach rumble.

"Lucas?" She called, stopping at the hallway that led to bedrooms. All of the rooms were dark, a sign that told her Lucas must not be in one of them. "Luke" She called again, walking through the kitchen and around the corner to the family room. She stopped in the entryway, suddenly losing the words she had practiced to say to him moments ago in the car.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Chae laid on the couch in the living room, Averie finally asleep beside her. She ran her fingers along the little girls back, wondering how things were going with Brooke and Lucas. She had talked to Brooke while she was on her way to Luke's house, and everything seemed fine then. Brooke actually was excited to see Lucas, and that was a relief to Chae. She hadn't heard from her again, and was hoping that was a good sign. She just hoped they could get back on track, if only for the perfect little girl asleep next to her.

As she stared at Averie, she thought that maybe having kids wasn't such a bad idea. She had never wanted kids, and figured it was because she was selfish. But spending the last week and a half with Brooke and Averie opened her eyes to the idea. Sure she had spent time with Brooke when Averie was a newborn, but then everything just seemed exhausting. But now, she could see the unconditional love that Brooke had for her daughter, and that alone made Chae's heart melt. Not to mention how much she loved the little girl, and she was just her friends daughter.

Chae wondered if Jake would be the ones her babies called _daddy_, or if it would be someone else. But every time she dreamed about her life in the future, it was always Jake running around with her kids in the front yard. It was always Jake that she pictured going to bed with and waking up with for the rest of her life. It was always Jake.

She reached for her cell phone, needing to hear his voice. Maybe this break was a good idea after all, she finally knew what she wanted. She wasn't scared anymore. And hopefully, if she was lucky, Jake would feel the same way.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas immediately stood from the couch, in shock at the sight of Brooke, looking more beautiful than ever, standing only a few feet in front of him.

She stared at him, stunned, for a few seconds before finally opening her mouth. "Sorry, I didn't know I was interrupting something." With that she turned on her heel, ready to walk out the door that she had been so relieved to enter.

Lucas was at her side, his hand gripping her arm. "No, don't leave."

"I should go" Tiffany said, her voice coming out in a squeak as she slipped past Brooke and Lucas, in a hurry to leave the house that was now filled with unimaginable tension.

"You don't have to" Brooke called after her, "Really, it was my bad. I guess I should've called before _surprising _my _fiancé_" she said, through gritted teeth, pulling her arm free from Lucas' grip.

Tiffany gave them a tight lipped smile, opened the front door and disappeared into the darkness.

Brooke started to walk for the door again, mentally scolding herself for believing that this was a good idea. She was going to kill Chae when she got home for insisting that she do this.

"Brooke, baby," Lucas sighed, obviously frustrated with what was happening. "Don't leave, let me explain. I didn't know you were coming-"

"Exactly." Brooke said, not able to help a laugh from escaping her throat. "Good thing I never made surprise visits before. Who the hell knows what I would've found if I would've gotten here ten minutes later."

"Brooke, she's my friend. That's all" Lucas said, running his hands through his hair. "I swear."

"Your _friend_? You two looked pretty cozy on the couch" Brooke said with a raised eyebrow, remembering how close they were sitting to each other when she arrived. "I don't know why I'm surprised. You cheated on Peyton with me…why wouldn't you do it again?"

"Please Brooke, I think _that _goes both ways." Lucas said, now getting annoyed. "It's not like you don't have friends. Should we talk about _Owen_? I call…he's at your house. I walk outside…find you two hugging. Not to mention that every time I drive by his house and Averie's in the car she can't help but point out 'Owey's house'."

"Give me a break Lucas" Brooke said, rolling her eyes. "You know there is nothing going on with me and Owen. But I've never even heard you mention your mystery _friend _before, I find that a little surprising. You talk about your other friends, why not this one? Is it the long legs and strawberry blonde hair that gets you? Or is it the big boobs and her ass? Really Lucas, because if she was just your friend I would know about her."

Lucas took a deep breath, closing his eyes in hopes to calm down. "Can we just talk about this like normal people?"

"Normal people? Normal people don't have to go through this shit!" Brooke screamed, running her hands through her hair, not even knowing what to think. All she could _picture _was the girl sitting on Lucas' couch. All she could _think _about was how much she loved Lucas, and how much it hurt to have her heart being broken into smaller pieces than it was already in. And all she wanted to _do _was hold her daughter and hope that her and Lucas hadn't screwed up Averie's life completely.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

A half hour later, Brooke and Lucas were sitting across from each other in the living room…the one they never used…neither wanting to make eye contact or be the first one to speak. Brooke had cried, physically pushing Lucas away from her when he tried to touch her, and Lucas begged for her to listen but knowing that the hurt and pain was so much deeper than what had just happened. Her finding him with Tiffany was just the straw that broke the camels back, whether they were just friends or not.

"Tiffany was my best friend in college" Lucas said, deciding that he needed to explain things to Brooke, to let her know that absolutely nothing was going on between himself and Tiffany. "We dated for awhile, but it never really worked. I was too selfish, and she knew that. But we were still friends anyways. I ran into her a few months ago, and we've kept in touch. I've only seen her a few times since I ran into her again, and I promise you, we are just friends. Nothing has happened between us. There were no hook-ups, no feelings…nothing."

Brooke nodded through her sniffles, hoping that Lucas wouldn't lie to her. She didn't think he would, and she was choosing to believe him. But that didn't make it hurt any less.

"Why didn't you tell me about her then?" Brooke asked, her voice raw from screaming and crying.

Lucas shrugged, knowing that it was his dumb-ass mistake. He had all the chances in the world to tell Brooke about Tiffany, and he honestly had no idea why he didn't. "I guess I just didn't think it was important."

Brooke stood from the couch, pacing back and forth in front of it. She bit on her bottom lip, trying to stop the tears from spilling from her eyes. She couldn't look at Lucas, she refused to because the last thing she needed was to see him crying. She knew she had hurt him, and he had hurt her. She just didn't know how much more she could take, and she knew it wasn't fair for him either.

Lucas stood up, crossing the room and reaching for one of Brooke's hands, stopping her from pacing. "Will you just say something? Anything. Talk, scream, yell…anything" He pleaded. "We need to stop this Brooke, I love you so much and I hate to see you like this."

"Like what?" She asked through her tears, her voice coming out shaky and high-pitched as she stared into his blue eyes glossed over with tears.

"Hurting" he said, his voice coming out in a whisper. He lifted his thumb to her cheek, wiping away a tear.

"It all hurts. Looking at Averie _hurts_, I know I'm not good enough for her, she deserves more than I can give. This empty hole in my heart where _our _baby was _hurts_, it hurts so much that sometimes I can't _breathe_. Standing here with you _hurts_, it hurts because I know that these last few weeks I've caused you pain and that right now I _can't_ be what you _need_ me to be" Brooke told him, some of the words coming out with the sobs that were uncontrollable. Brooke hit her fists against Lucas' chest, unwillingly letting herself fall into his arms, "It _all _hurts."

"We are going to get through this" Lucas whispered in her hair, holding onto her so tight that he was aware there was a possibility he was actually hurting her more. But it was worth the risk because he was not about to let her out of his arms. Not this time. "It will get easier, just let me in Brooke. Please just _let me in_" he cried, hot tears rolling off of his cheeks and into her chocolate hair.

Brooke opened her eyes, looking at her hand that was rested on Luke's chest next to her head. She saw the shine of love and promise in the ring that Lucas had placed on her finger. She closed her eyes, not able to look at that symbol of _forever_. Not now, when she was so broken that forever seemed like a distant hope.

She pulled away from Lucas, after feeling his chest heaving she knew he was crying to, but seeing the tears fall from his eyes made her hurt even more. Everything was so messed up, so ruined that she didn't know if it could ever be fixed. They had been through so much together already, and that made this last trial that much harder. And even though neither would want to admit it, they had trust issues that their new friends weren't helping.

They were both still grieving the loss of a child they would never know, and somehow they had stopped grieving together and instead drifted apart making everything that much more difficult.

"I'm sorry Lucas" Brooke choked out, gathering up all of the strength she had in her to form the words she was about to vocalize. "Look at us. We aren't helping each other here, not anymore. I _can't _do this Lucas" She choked out, watching the fear and heartache burn in the blue eyes she adored. "I've hurt you enough, I can't do it anymore."

"No, Brooke. Don't do this" Lucas begged, reaching for her hands and holding on tightly. "Don't say it. Just stop. We can work through this, we can."

Brooke bit on her lip, the tears freely falling from her hazel eyes and mixing with the charcoal eyeliner. "I'm sorry" she mumbled, hating that right now this seemed to be her only option. "If we continue going on like this, we are going to ruin each other and what we have. I can't be with you right now, not when I have so much _I_ need to work on. Its not fair to either of us…" She was still crying, and so was Lucas and that made her cry even more. It made the words even harder to form, and made the knot in her stomach tighten.

"Brooke, I love you, we'll work through it together" Lucas cried, his fingers grasping tighter onto Brookes.

"I love you too" She gulped through tears, "And that's why I'm letting you go…"

"No" Lucas cried, pulling Brooke into his arms and crying onto her shoulder. She was hugging him back, and he figured that was a good sign. He felt her tears seep through his shirt and figured she felt the same from him. They loved each other too much to give up. He didn't know how she expected him to step aside while she was obviously in pain.

After a few minutes that seemed like hours, Brooke pulled herself from Lucas' arms and tried to wipe the tears from her cheeks that kept falling. "It's not forever" she promised. "If its meant to be, we'll find our way back. People who are meant to be together always find their way in the end" she whispered, more for herself than anything.

"God Brooke, this is ridiculous. This isn't the only option here! And what about Averie? We can't just give up, there is no reason to give up! We can get through this together. Being apart is not a fucking option!" Lucas screamed through his tears, not willing to just back down.

Brooke lifted a hand to his cheek, stood on her tip-toes and kissed his other cheek lightly. With her lips still pressed against the side of his face she whispered, "I love you."

Lucas held his breath the whole time Brooke's face was pressed against his, and when he watched her as she stepped back he noticed her tears weren't falling as quickly and that she was serious. She was really leaving him.

"Can you please still come for Averie?" She asked, the words seeming to stick in her throat from the pain that was etched in them.

Lucas nodded, "And for you. I'm still coming for _both _of you."

Brooke nodded and tried her hardest to give him a small smile, "She still needs you. No matter what happens with us, she'll always need her daddy."

"I still need you too Brooke" Lucas choked out.

Brooke walked towards the door where her suitcase was resting. She reached for the handle, and watched as Lucas instantly rushed towards her to stop her. "I gotta go" She choked out in between cries.

"Brooke" Lucas said, her name leaving his lips in a hopeless breath. When she reached for the door handle, he fell to the ground. "I love you" he said again, watching as she walked out of his door. "Why isn't that enough?"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

As soon as Brooke closed Lucas' door behind her, she started walking, knowing that if she didn't leave now she wouldn't be able to. She just had to get that house out of her sight, and then she'd call a cab.

In all honesty, this wasn't how she wanted things to happen. She didn't want things to end. But she wasn't stupid, their relationship was headed in a downward spiral, one that she refused to watch. She loved Lucas more than life itself, but sometimes that wasn't enough. Not when you felt like your insides were torn to shreds, when your heart would never be whole, when you had no right to love someone when you couldn't love yourself.

If she knew one thing, she knew that she left Lucas _because _she loved him. She didn't want to hurt him, and she already had. It would only get worse, and she couldn't let that happen. She knew she would never forgive herself for leaving Lucas like that, she knew it would haunt her, but she hoped that she might be able to get better without having to worry about pleasing someone else.

She had to fix herself.

* * *

**A/N: Wow. Okay I'm glad I got that out. The end of this chapter was incredibly hard to write. This is the second chapter that has actually made me cry while writing it, and for me that's kind of weird. Don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think. Thank you to everyone who is so dedicated to this story, and are sticking with it through the ups and downs. I promise this story will end happy! You guys rock my socks. XOXOX Lindsay.**

**Thank You…**

**Jem (flipflopgal)- **Way to go being the numero uno reviewer again! That's awesome. Hahah your review was pretty good. You just know whats going to happen! I'm glad you are loving Ave! She is so fun to write! Thank you for ALWAYS reviewing! I love to hear what you have to say! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Brucas3- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I'm also glad that you like Brooke and Owen's friendship…its true, its nice to have someone to talk to that's not part of the situation. Thank you for your review! I hope you liked this chapter!

**TeamSophia- **I'm glad you loved the last chapter, that is always great to hear! It was good to know what you thought about Brooke and Lucas' problems…I know Brooke seemed selfish in the last chapter, and that's okay. I'm hoping that it will all come together the way I want it to! Thank you so much for your kind words, reviews like yours always make me feel better about my writing when sometimes I feel like I have no clue what I'm doing! So thank you so much! I'm glad you thought I did a good job writing the issue of them losing a child in chap. 43. Thank you so much! I hope you like this new chapter!

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter even though it was still a little sad. Hahaha, don't pass out from ugly paint fumes. That's funny. Thank you for always reviewing! I love to hear what you think! I hope you liked this new chapter!

**Moviegirl1616- **I'm so glad you loved the last chapter, I hope you like this one as well! Thanks for reviewing!

**Onetreefan- **I'm so glad you liked the new chapter! I'm glad you understand what is going on and you aren't totally upset about it! And don't worry, Brooke won't get together with Owen! Thank you for reviewing! Its great to hear what you think! I hope you liked this new chapter!

**Othfan326- **I'm excited that you liked the last chapter. I always love to hear what you think. It's true, we are getting so close to the beginning of the story, and hopefully I still have a few surprises left for you guys. I'm glad you are excited to see what happens between them! Haha I'm glad you liked the ending scene, leaving it funny yet angsty. Thank you so much for your review, I loved reading it! I hope you like this chapter!

**BrucasPurpleMonkey- **first of all, I must say that I love your name on here. Very fitting. Haha. I'm so excited that you got all caught up on this story, and wow, you finished it pretty quickly that's awesome! I always love having new readers and reviewers so I'm excited. I'm so glad that you loved the story so far! That is great to hear! Its also exciting to know that this is one of your new favorite stories! Thank you! I'm glad you think I do a good job balancing drama with fluff, because sometimes I worry about that! I'm glad you like Averie too haha, that's cute that she reminds you of your little sister! Thank you so much for your kind review! I hope you continue to love this story!

**PeterClaire- **You are right, everything does seem kind of awkward between them. I always love hearing what you think about the chapters, so thank you for reviewing. I hope you like this new chapter!

**Dolcegrazia- **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter, and that you think I'm doing a good job with the grieving process. Your review really was just perfect, I'm so glad you noticed that even though you think Brooke is getting better, there are still some problems…I'm not sure if everyone noticed that, so I'm very glad you did because that is kind of a big deal right now. Haha I'm so glad you are still loving Averie, she is one of my favorites to write! Thank you so much for your review, it was perfect! I hope you like this new chapter!

**Natalie (iluvmedou)- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter and the way it flopped around haha. Sounds like a fish…hmm. Haha. I think the ending of your review got cut off, because it like stopped right in the middle of a sentence, but I think I know where you were going with it haha. Thanks for always reviewing! I hope you like this new chapter!

**Steph (Team Davis-Scott)- **I'm happy you liked the last chapter! And about the Owen thing turning into a fight between Brooke and Lucas, I guess this chapter pretty much answered that for you haahaa. You are too funny, I love reading your reviews. They always crack me up. I hope you like this chapter! Everything is going to start unfolding now, so be ready! Thanks for reviewing, I love them. I hope you like this chapter!

**Widdy89- **haha I'm glad you like personal thank yous. You guys deserve them for reviewing, so I love writing them! It took me forever to update, I used to be sooo fast at updating and then summer started, but this update was fast!! I'm glad you loved the chapter though! You are definitely catching onto all the little things in the chapters. I'm glad you like Owen as Brooke's friend, because that's really all he'll be! Thank you so much for your kind review! I actually just started writing, and I guess it kind of just came naturally. I'm going to school to be a teacher right now though! Anyways, thank you so much for your kind review. I hope you like this new chapter!

**Reina123- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! And its good you are excited for the time jump, it will be coming soon! Thank you for always reading and reviewing! I hope you like this new chapter!

**Tanya (tanya2byour21)- **I'm so glad you loved the new chapter! Your reviews are always so nice. I love them! Thank you so much for always reviewing. I hope you like this new chapter!

**Yana (Yaba)- **I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Hahaha you can sense drama ahead…you are right. I'm glad you can see how the miscarriage can change a relationship, and sometimes not for the better! I just hope everyone else understands that too hahah. I hope you like this new chapter! Thank you so much for your reviews.

**Brucas333- **hahaha I love your reviews, they always seem to be full of energy! Its great. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope you liked this one too! Thanks for always reviewing!

**Chebelle- **hahaha, the last chapter was long! It probably seemed longer because there weren't thank you's on the end! But yeah, I got a lot of reviews and it was crazy. The longer I wait to update the more I get hahah obviously. Anyways. I'm glad this chapter rocked your socks, along with the rest haha. You are too funny. I love your reviews. The time jump will probably come after the next chapter…and sadly the store is close to being finished! I wish I could comment on everything you said, but that's nearly impossible haha. Just know that I LOVE your reviews! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Molly04042000- **Thank you SO much for your review. I feel lucky that you chose to review my story when you normally don't review. Thank you. I'm so glad you like my writing and my story, and think that I've captured the characters exactly. That is so good to hear, you have no idea! I'm so glad you like the story, and I hope you continue to like it! Thank you so much for your review, it was greatly appreciated!

**Chasitybsp- **haha its good to know you were missing the story, that has got to be a good sign! I hope you liked this chapter! Thank you for ALWAYS reviewing, you are awesome.

**Audra (Albluvscbg)- **I'm so happy that you loved the last chapter. Haha, I'm glad you liked the google part with Owen haahaha. I love telling people to google stuff. My one friend always says 'G-slap it' instead of google it…its so random hahaha. I'm glad you liked Averie, and its good that that part reminded you of your niece because that means I am capturing her age! So thank you for letting me know that. I don't like Brucas fighting either! Its so hard to write! I'm so glad you love this story! I hope you like this new chapter! Thank you for reviewing!

**BrucasFan23- **haha I'm glad the update was worth the wait. I'm sorry it took so long, I hate it when I take forever to update! I'm glad you liked the chapter anyways though. Hahaha I'm glad you can see where things are headed so that you won't be AS upset. I'm also so glad you love Averie! That makes me smile! I'm glad you are excited to see Chae again too, I love her! I'm glad this story is one of your favorites! I hope you like this chapter! Thank you for reviewing!

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23)- **ahhh I know. I was so excited to get so many reviews. It's pretty unbelievable huh! Its great. Haha. I'm glad you love Averie, you always have. Averie is like the new and improved baby Angie hahaha. I'm excited you made a you tube video! I'm gonna go check it out after I post this chapter! Yay! Thanks for always reviewing and being supportive! I hope you like this new chapter!

**Katherine- **I'm glad you liked this last chapter better than the last. I feel bad that you haven't liked what I've decided to do, because you are one of my favorite readers/reviewers, so I really do feel bad. But I hope by the end you will like it. I'm glad you can kind of understand why Brooke was acting the way she was, even though she was kind of bothering you. And I'm glad you understood where Lucas was coming from as well. Don't worry, there will be NO cheating in this story, besides the cheating at the beginning. I hate cheating too, and even writing about it in the beginning of the story was hard for me. But they won't cheat on each other, I'm too much of a die-hard Brucas fan for that. I'm glad you loved all of the Averie parts, I'm sure you will like those parts in this chapter as well. She always helps to lighten the situations. I love that you notice all of the little Averie moments! Hahah and I'm glad you liked the bling part! Also, I'm glad you noticed that line that Owen said to Brooke… Anyways, thanks for still reading and reviewing. I love reading your reviews!

**Brucas3Naley23- **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! Thank you for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter too!

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)- **Syyyyd! Hahaha I'm glad you like Brooke and Averie's relationship and obviously Lucas and Brooke are perfect together. Duh. Now we just have to make everyone realize that! Bling..haahaa. When I was the two year old teacher I taught all the kids in my class that anything shiny was bling! It was great, they're parents would always comment about it. I taught them that and to say peace out…I was a good teacher. WOW anyways. Stop not trusting Owen haha. You really can't get past that can you. I'm glad you liked the last chapter though, at least I can count on you to like my chapters hahah. Thank you for alwaaays reviewing! You are the best! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Princeton girl- **I'm so glad you loved the last chapter, hope you like this one as well! Thanks for reviewing!

**IamCaroline- **I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! Hahaha I'm glad you think Averie is the cutest baby ever, next to Jamie…haha, that's a pretty great compliment! I'm glad you can see Brooke's personality coming out in her! I'm glad that you like Owen being a friend to Brooke, because I do to! And the end of your review is funny, just cuz you like know haha. Thanks for always reviewing! I love to see what you think about the chapters! I hope you liked this chapter!


	46. Sipping On History

**A/N: Wow. Finally, an update. I'm sooo sorry it has taken me so long to get this out. I have felt horrible about it, but I really have had no time to write. I moved to a new city, transferred to a new university and am living in a new apartment with new roommates. Needless to say, there has been plenty of change in my life. I have been extremely busy with school and getting adjusted to my new life that I literally have had no time to write. I have been working on this chapter every free minute I have had, and finally after working on it for about three weeks, I got it finished! So anyways, the song in this chapter is called 'Fallen' and is by Sarah McLachlin. I hope you guys like this chapter, let me know what you thought! It is your reviews that made me get this chapter finished!**

* * *

_We all begin with good intent _

_When love was raw and young _

_We believed that we could change ourselves _

_The past can be undone _

_But we carry on our back the burdens time always reveals _

_In the lonely light of morning _

_The wound that would not heal _

_It's the bitter taste of losing everything _

_I have held so dear _

**Chapter Forty Six- Sipping On History**

"But really, I just think its weird that you and Lucas break up the same night me and Jake finally work things out for good." Chae groaned, throwing her hands around as she spoke. "It's just not right."

Brooke leaned into the couch, closing her eyes. When she showed up back in Tree Hill a whole day earlier than expected, Chae was surprised and Averie was ecstatic. Brooke had never felt more worn down in her life. After leaving Lucas' house, She had ended up staying the night in the JFK Airport, the only flight available early in the morning. Sleeping in an airport seemed to be the perfect way to end her hellish day in New York, it just seemed fitting.

But now she was home, her house quiet and the lights turned down low as the evening summer breeze blew through the open back door. Averie was sprawled across the couch, her head on Brooke's leg as she slept. Brooke raked her fingers through Averie's hair, letting it spill across her lap.

"I don't feel like talking about it" Brooke mumbled, keeping her eyes shut as she spoke.

It was bad enough that every time she looked at her daughter, she saw Lucas' bright blue eyes staring back at her. It didn't help that when Averie climbed onto her lap earlier with a book, that the serene look on the tiny girls face mimicked the one Lucas wore when he was about to open a favorite book. And it hurt more than imagined when her phone rang and Averie immediately asked if it was her daddy calling, while Brooke secretly hoped that it was.

"You can't just keep closing yourself off from everyone" Chae said, her voice low and timid.

Brooke lifted a hand to her head in frustration, squeezing her eyes closed and exhaling deeply. "God, I don't know why everyone has to be on my case all the damn time! Can I ever just have two minutes to _breathe_? Ever since I got home you've been watching me like a hawk, Haley has been calling non stop and Nathan even had the nerve to make a surprise drive by visit. I'm a grown ass woman and for some odd reason everyone has seemed to over look that!"

Chae stood from the couch, staring directly down at Brooke with almost a hurt expression on her face. "We _care _about you Brooke. Have you ever thought of that? I've been sitting here, watching you slowly remove yourself from your friends, your boyfriend and your life. And after the night you had last night, I can't imagine that you'd _want _to be _alone _right now."

"Well, I _do _want to be alone" Brooke huffed, keeping her focus on the tiny girl laying beside her.

Chae ran a hand through her hair, deciding to give Brooke her space for now. She didn't like watching her best friend fall apart, and she had no idea what to do to help. It was stressful and heartbreaking to see Brooke like this, and Chae was running out of ideas.

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning" Chae said, slowly walking out of the room, "But you know," she said, turning around to look at Brooke one last time. "We'll all still be here for you when you need us. As much as you may think it, you aren't alone Brooke and a lot of people do love you."

Brooke looked up at Chae, and for a split second Chae was almost certain she saw a hint of hopefulness in her friends eyes. Brooke's mouth slit open like she was about to speak, but then she closed it again, giving Chae only a small nod. Chae smiled lightly and shrugged before leaving the room, crossing her fingers that tomorrow she might be able to get through to Brooke.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke had been gone for almost 24 hours now, and Lucas still hadn't spoken to her. Not a phone call, email, or text message. Chae had left him a cryptic voicemail, letting him know that Brooke had made it home alive and the she was confused as hell as to why Brooke was back so early looking like shit. Surely enough, Chae knew the story of what had happened by now, or at least bits and pieces of the story because Jake had been calling him non stop all day.

Lucas stood from the couch, stretching his arms and neck, his body aching from sitting for so long. He had called into work, knowing that he would be useless if he would've gone in. In all honesty, he didn't feel like doing anything. He didn't feel like showering, eating, speaking, and most of all, he wanted to stop _feeling_.

He had felt every possible emotion ever since Brookes departure, and now he was feeling more confused than ever. He had gone from being completely broken and crushed, to angry as hell. He had screamed, thrown various household objects, cried, and at one point laughed.

Just as his temper started to bubble, he thought that this is how Brooke must've felt when he left her alone and pregnant, for a girl he had never loved. It made him feel guilty, and it made him want to take her pain away. But then he remembered how easily she seemed to let the words spill out of her mouth the night before, how she was able to open the front door, and walk out of his life possibly forever.

It was a vicious cycle, he had learned this by now. Usually the emptiness set in, followed by unimaginable hurt and tears. Then came the numbness, where he just refused to feel anything. Next was the anger, and all he wanted to do was yell and scream at the brunette that owned his heart. But after the anger came the guilt, and the feelings that this had to be his fault somehow. And then it started all over again, leaving him tired and wide awake at the same time.

When Lucas heard a way too loud, pounding noise coming from his front door his face lit up and for a second Brooke's picture popped into his mind. But it didn't last long, because he knew that she wouldn't be on the other side of that door. He stayed on the couch, the spot that surely had a permanent impression of his backside on it. It wasn't that he was too lazy to get up and answer the door, it was that he wasn't in the mood for visitors.

Then the pounding and knocking was accompanied by a loud yelling and Lucas' head couldn't handle the loud noises. He stood from the couch, wobbling a little, and made his way to the front door.

"Seriously" Lucas groaned, opening the door with one hand and holding his head with the other. "It would be _really _nice if you could keep your voice _down_. Thanks."

"Answer your damn door and I won't have to yell" Jake said, his voice irritated as he stepped past Lucas and inside the dark house. "What is this? The new bat cave? Ever thought of flipping a light switch?"

Lucas swayed to the left as he tried to gain balance. "I don't like the lights on, is that okay?"

Jake stared at Lucas intently then observed the living room that contained various empty bottles, "Well boozy, if you kept your drinking to a minimal, then maybe the lights and noises wouldn't be so painful."

"_You _want to talk to _me _about _pain_?" Lucas laughed, his words coming out slightly slurred as he pointed a lazy finger at Jake before falling to his spot on the couch.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke stared at the screen on her phone, _seventeen_, she thought before pressing the end button and resting her phone beside her on the couch. She had dialed Lucas' number seventeen times today, and had chickened out, ending the call before it even began every single time.

Her dry eyes burned, and she was actually relieved that her tears had run dry. It seemed as if everything in the last ten years of her life had been snowballing up to this moment, and she wished it would've turned out differently. The trust issues and vulnerability that had blossomed from her absentee parents only grew and flourished when she began dating Kade in high school. Her constant need for love and attention hadn't always been positive, and her track record with boys proved that. The emotional abuse that had stemmed from her unwanting parents only grew with her first real high school love. She had always desired the feeling of being wanted, and even though her and Kade didn't share a healthy relationship, the days that he needed her made her stay. Brooke thrived for acceptance from her parents and boys, but had never fully received it.

After high school, everything just seemed to go downhill. Kade moved away, causing Brooke's trust issues to shoot higher than ever before. It didn't help that she caught him cheating on her at least once, and was almost positive that it had happened more than that. He was supposed to be the one person who loved her for who she was. Who wanted to be with her because he chose too, not because she shared his blood like her parents.

It had all been building up when she met Lucas, but once again she felt that sense of want from him. He had wanted her, and even though she knew it wasn't right considering both of their relationship status', she clung to that want and it soon grew into a real, true love.

But that love wasn't strong enough, because when she was pregnant with Lucas' child, he left her and this time she was more broken than ever before. Her trust meter started going off again, and she began to build her walls higher, refusing to let anyone hurt her again. She couldn't lie, because she was happy when Lucas came back into her life when their daughter was born. And they were happy. She knew they were, and refused to believe that emotion was anything but real.

And then it happened again, another bump in the road at the loss of their second child together. She felt like she had been ripped to shreds but knew that Lucas was there for her. It hurt like hell and she needed Lucas. But when she showed up at his apartment, to find a gorgeous girl on his couch, it was as if every single time she was hurt by men rushed back into her mind. Lucas had hurt her before, and now he had done it again.

She loved him so much, and leaving that night was the hardest decision she had ever made. For the last 24 hours she had reexamined the reasons she left, and every time she came to the same conclusion. She had no choice. If she had to go through that again, it would kill her.

Deep down she knew that Lucas hadn't cheated on her. But she was too far gone, too broken to stay.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

When the weekend rolled around, he still hadn't heard anything from Brooke. What drove him crazy was that Lucas knew that Jake and Chae had been talking about his and Brooke's problems. But what was making Lucas mad was that Jake wasn't giving him any information about Brooke. And its not like Jake didn't know anything…He knew that Chae was telling Jake everything.

But none of that mattered, because it was Friday, and Chae was coming home for the weekend to visit Jake. And the best part of it was that she was bringing Averie back to New York with her.

Lucas was excited to see his daughter. If things were normal, then he would be the one on his way to Tree Hill to see Brooke and Averie. But that obviously wasn't going to happen, so he was happy that he was at least able to see Averie.

He had made a few preparations for his little girls arrival. The first thing he had to do was clean the house. It reeked of old pizza and whiskey. After he febreezed his entire house, he went shopping. He stocked up on juice, snacks and treats.

As soon as he heard tiny footsteps running towards his open front door, Lucas stood from the couch and hurried to the front door. He couldn't help the smile that formed on his face as soon as he saw his daughter. She was dressed in a pale pink sundress with sparkly sandals. Her hair bounced up and down as she ran, and her dimples were deep on each cheek as she grinned up at him.

"Daddy!" Averie squealed, in a tiny but high pitched voice. She waved her hands around beside her in excitement.

"There's my little munchkin" Lucas grinned, bending over and opening his arms to catch Averie in them. He hugged her against him, her tiny fingers grasping onto his t-shirt tightly. "I missed you Ava."

"I come-d a pyane!" Averie grinned, holding onto Lucas' shoulder with one hand as he stood up and held her in one arm.

"Was it fun?" Lucas asked, happy to be in the presence of the two and a half year old.

Averie nodded furiously, "We go so so high!"

Chae stood back, letting Lucas and Averie have a few moments before she interrupted them. She couldn't help but smile as she watched the two together. It was clearly obvious that Averie adored her dad, and it was no surprise that Lucas loved his daughter. He was so wrapped up in every word that the tiny girl said, and Chae was happy that she was able to bring Averie to visit him.

"Avie was such a good girl on the plane" Chae announced, stepping forward towards Lucas and Averie. "She helped me count all of her crackers and she even colored you a picture."

"You did?" Lucas asked, tickling Averie's sides until the little girl laughed and wiggled in his arms. He turned his attention back to Chae, happily accepting the picture she pulled from her purse. "Thanks for bringing her."

Chae smiled, nodding as she spoke. "No problem Luke. I think Sassy really missed her Daddy." Chae held out the tiny pink suitcase, "Here's some clothes, bath stuff, pull-ups and night time things. Brooke said you should be good on food and sippy cups."

Lucas took the suitcase from Chae, holding it in his free hand. He nodded as soon as she was done speaking and then neither of them knew just what to say. Averie wiggled out of Lucas' arms, and was plucking flowers from the garden in front of the house.

"How is she doing?" Lucas finally asked. He wasn't sure if he should say anything, but he couldn't help it. He missed Brooke like crazy, and as hurt as he was, he only hoped that she was okay.

Chae shrugged, not able to make eye contact with Lucas. Truth is she thought the break up was a bad idea, and it sucked for everyone involved. "She's hanging in there." Chae wished she could tell Lucas that Brooke was actually a mess, that she wasn't acting herself and that there was room to be concerned. But being Brooke's best friend, she knew she shouldn't be telling Lucas those things. It all came down to best friend confidentiality, and as much as it sucked, that was how it had to be.

"Daddy," Averie called, pulling on Luke's pant legs.

"Yeah baby?" Lucas asked, looking down at his daughter who was the spitting image of her mom.

"Yets go pyay" She told him, her big blue eyes sparkling up at him.

"Our plane leaves Sunday morning" Chae said with a tight smile, "So I'll be here around seven to get her. Is that okay?" After Lucas nodded, Chae bent down and poked Averie in the arm. "Alright Sassy you have fun with dad and I will see you later."

"Bye-bye Sae!" Averie grinned, waving happily at Chae after giving her a hug. "I syeep at daddy's house."

"Yup, you get to sleep at daddy's house and have lots of fun and make lots of messes!" Chae grinned, tapping Averie on the nose before walking back down the driveway. "See ya later Luke, have a good weekend."

"You too" Lucas called, lifting Averie into his arms and kissing the little girls forehead. "Thanks again."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke was frantically drawing at the kitchen table. It was late Friday night and she had been home from the store for a few hours. She was trying her hardest to keep herself occupied, and figured there was no better time than the present to put the finishing touches on her fall line.

The house was eerily quiet with Chae and Averie gone, and it only reminded Brooke of how alone she really was. She sniffled the tears away, willing them silently to go away. Her thoughts were never far from Lucas and Averie, and it was hard. When Averie had called her to say goodnight, Brooke had to steady her shaky voice and wipe roughly at her eyes so she wouldn't cry.

And that's why she had to stay busy. At least when Averie was there, she could keep her mind off of Lucas a little easier. But now it took work to keep those thoughts at bay.

When she heard a knock at the door, she looked up in surprise. According to the clock on her microwave, it was just after two in the morning. Who in their right mind would be knocking on a door at this hour. Only a serial killer.

Brooke stood from the kitchen table, deciding that whoever had the guts to knock on her door at two in the morning deserved to get an answer. And at least if it was a serial killer it was a dedicated one.

Brooke peeked through the peep hole in the door, and swung it open with a loud, annoyed sighed. "What?" She asked, her voice growing more annoyed with each drawn out syllable.

"I saw your light on" Owen said, smiling his big, crooked yet sexy smile.

"And somehow that gives you an invitation in?" Brooke asked, her arms crossed across her chest as she tapped her foot on the ground in front of her.

Owen raised an eyebrow, not sure where the attitude was coming from. "Sorry, I just got off work and was wondering what was going on at the Davis-Scott household."

"Well Mr. Nosey, for your information its only the Davis household at the moment. Both of the Scott's are in New York."

"And that happened how? You and Lucas are practically inseparable yet you send Averie to New York while you stay here." Owen reached a hand up, placing it on Brooke's forehead. "You aren't acting like yourself… do you have a fever?"

"No!" Brooke groaned, pushing his hand away. "Now, if you would so kindly let me get back to my work-"

"Cut the crap. What's going on?" Owen asked, cutting Brooke off and getting straight to the point. He pushed back her and walked into her house, straight for the kitchen. "If it's a long story then I'm going to need a snack."

Brooke slammed the front door shut and marched up to Owen. "I'm pretty sure I wasn't offering information or snacks!"

"Brooke, you have bags under your blood shot eyes, you look like you haven't eaten in days…and yes I can tell…and Lucas hasn't been here for a couple weekends. You forget, I work at a bar, I hear stories all night long and I can point out drama from miles away. So stop being so defensive and just tell me what's going on. That way I can talk some sense into you, you and Lucas can kiss and make up and then we won't have to share any more of these unpleasantries. What do ya say?"

Brooke thought about it for a minute, and then rested a hand on Owen's arm. "I think I'm gonna have to pass" She said bitterly. "I don't want to talk about it. I just want to work on my sketches, so if you would go on your way then we can both get on with our lives."

Owen raised an eyebrow at Brooke. "If you say so…"

She led him to the front door, and locked it after he left.

Why did everyone always have to butt into her life like that?

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Averie sat on top of the table, casually dropping every piece of silverware and each dish onto the floor while Lucas made breakfast. She stared down at the floor, surveying the mess she had made and smiled in accomplishment.

Lucas just laughed at his daughter, enjoying the time he was able to spend with her. He watched as she climbed down from the table and onto her chair.

"Daddy" She said, her voice small. "I's hungy now."

"Well Avie, you better be picking everything up off of the floor if you want to eat" Lucas said, raising an eyebrow at his daughter who just stared up at him innocently. Lucas was interrupted when there was a knock at the door, "Hold that thought" he said to Averie.

Lucas walked to the front door, Averie following him curiously. When she tugged on the bottom of his T-Shirt, he turned around and picked her up.

"Daddy, a Easer bunny is here" Averie said in a whisper with wide eyes and a big, excited smile.

"I don't think so baby" Lucas laughed, kissing her forehead. When he opened the door, he wasn't surprised to find Jake and Chae on the other side of it. "Don't you two have anything better to do?"

Chae shrugged and Jake stepped forward, "We just wanted to see how you were doing." he told Lucas, and then he tapped Averie's nose, "And I missed this little munchkin."

"Jay!" Averie squealed, she then turned to Lucas, placing a hand on each of his cheeks. "Jay not a Easer bunny" She informed her dad while sadly shaking her head from side to side.

"Jake is definitely not a bunny that lays eggs" Chae said with a laugh as she pushed inside Luke's house, pulling Jake in behind her. "It smells good in here, what's for breakfast?"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Haley juggled a fussy Tessa on her hip and tried to keep a hold of Max's hand while he tried anything possible to get away from her. Somehow she opened the front door to Brooke's store while keeping a hold of both of her children.

Once she stepped inside Max finally freed his hand from his mothers and ran away from her as he laughed victoriously. She watched as he dove underneath one of the clothing racks to hide. Then Tessa started to fuss and Haley readjusted the little girl, wrapping the blanket tighter around the tired baby.

Haley scanned the room, looking for the reason she decided to go to the store with both of her kids. Normally she wouldn't attempt such a thing with a rambunctious two year old and a way too tired four month old. As soon as she saw her best friend come out of the backroom in the store, she immediately noticed how tired Brooke looked.

Brooke was in a hurry, Haley could tell by her long strides and the determined look on her face. She would've walked right past Haley if Max hadn't of jumped out from under the clothes and screeched "BROOKE!"

Brooke jumped nearly a foot in the air, obviously not expecting Max to jump out in front of her. Once she calmed down she forced out a smile to the little boy with blonde spiked hair. "Hey dude" she smiled, then looked up, eyeing Haley suspiciously. "What are you doing here little man?"

Max ran away from Brooke and climbed onto the couch that was in the store. He stared up at the TV that hung on the wall as if in a sudden trance. Haley smiled in relief, hoping the little boy would stay put for longer than two minutes.

"Can I help you with something?" Brooke asked, clasping her hands together as she stood tall and adopted her business woman voice.

Haley scrunched up her face in confusion and then shook her head, "No. I actually just came here to see you. I haven't been able to get you to answer your phone, and I figured you would be here."

"Sorry Hales, I've just been really busy" Brooke said, giving her friend a very forced, very fake smile. "As a matter of fact, I really need to get back to polishing, this store is starting to look very drab."

"Polishing? Is that even in your job description?" Haley asked, trying to hold in her laugh. "How about you put that on hold for a little while and come to lunch with me and the kids?"

Brooke thought about it for a few minutes and realized she had a couple of choices. She could politely decline Haley's invitation like she really wanted to, or she could accept and hope that Haley would stop bugging her.

Finally Brooke nodded her head, "I guess I can go out for a half hour."

Haley grinned, feeling very good about herself. "Great!" She missed her best friend and hoped that this would be her chance in making things okay between them. She walked over to where Max was sitting on the couch and reached for his hand. "Come on buddy, Aunt Brooke is going to come to lunch with us!" She said in the most cheerful voice she could muster up, because for some reason Max never wanted to do what she wanted him to do.

He stared at her skeptically for a few minutes, and then moved his gaze to Brooke who was standing behind his mom. He looked back at Haley, "I ride with Brookie."

"Deal!" Haley said gladly.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas chased Averie around the park after breakfast. He couldn't believe how much energy the small girl had. He had trouble keeping up with her, she was constantly climbing on one thing or another. A few times she had a close call with falling off the jungle gym and breaking a bone. He didn't know how Brooke did this every day by herself.

Brooke. Just thinking about her made him feel weak. She should be there with him and Averie. He and Brooke should be sharing a blanket on the grass instead of Jake and Chae. Those feelings of hurt, sorrow and anger came flooding back in a rush of memories. Lucas felt as if the air he breathed was being sucked from his body, and he needed to sit down before he fell apart.

Jake must have noticed this because he stood from the blanket and jogged over to where Averie was climbing up the slide. He nodded to Lucas, letting him know that he would keep an eye on Averie.

Lucas stumbled over to the blanket that Chae was still sitting on, and fell onto it, immediately placing his hands over his face.

Chae reached an arm out and rubbed his back comfortingly. "Are you okay?"

Lucas shook his head fiercely. "Why the hell did she have to do this?" He asked, his voice growing loud. "I just don't understand."

"I don't know Luke" Chae told him, her voice low as she spoke. "She's going through a lot right now…"

"So why can't she let me help her through it? Why did she have to leave?"

Chae frowned, the sound of Lucas' hurt and broken voice was heartbreaking. "I don't know her reasoning Lucas, and even though she's my best friend I think she could've handled things better. But we don't know what she has to go through everyday, so we can't really judge her. I know you are hurting Lucas, but she's hurting just as much."

"She's hurting over this? How can that be when it was her choice to begin with?" Lucas yelled, covering his face with his hands to muffle his voice. "Everyday I wake up and list the things that I did to push her away. Everyday I feel guilty for not being there for her, for the choices I have made that have kept us apart. Everyday I hope that my phone will ring and that it will be Brooke's voice I hear on the other end." Lucas paused for a few seconds, and then quietly added, "But everyday I remember that she left me, and that she didn't feel a thing when she did."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Brooke, you've hardly eaten a thing" Haley said as she stared across the table at Brooke's plate. There were only a few bites gone from her sandwich, and the cup of fruit next to it was full.

"I'm not hungry" Brooke shrugged, she then turned her attention back to Max. "Alright Mr., if you can finish all of your grilled cheese then we can go get a ice cream cone on the way back to the store."

Max grinned up at Brooke, then happily picked up the sandwich that he had been refusing to eat only moments before.

Their lunch hadn't gone at all like Haley had planned. She had hoped to be able to talk to Brooke, to get inside her head and finally find out how her friend was really feeling. Brooke had been so disconnected from everyone lately, and Haley knew that she was hurting. For the last couple of weeks Brooke had been spending all of her time with Averie or at the store, and it had gotten worse since she broke up with Lucas. Even though Chae had been staying with Brooke, Brooke hadn't even really talked to her about anything. Brooke's eating habits had changed drastically, and Chae and Haley were getting even more worried.

"How are you feeling about everything?" Haley asked, deciding that she wasn't going to beat around the bush anymore. If she wanted to get answers, she had to ask the tough questions.

"I'm fine Haley" Brooke said with a shrug, pushing the food around on her plate. She lifted her water glass and sipped on it for a few seconds before putting it back onto the table.

"You expect me to believe that?" Haley asked, narrowing her eyes at her friend.

"I guess its your choice if you want to believe it or not" Brooke said without concern.

"Why won't you talk to anyone?" Haley asked, bouncing Tessa on her knee when the little girl started to whine. "You can't just bottle everything up Brooke. I know that you are hurting, and you don't need to go through this alone. I can't imagine what it would feel like to lose a baby, and on top of that you let go of the one man that you love more than anything-"

"You don't know anything" Brooke said bitterly, cutting Haley off. "You don't know how I feel or what I'm going through, so stop trying to preach to me. Its not easy to look in your daughters eyes and see the eyes of a man who you can't get close to. It isn't easy to have doubts every time he touches you, or every time he boards that plane back to his own city. You don't know how it feels Haley, so you need to stop telling me how I should be acting." Brooke stood up, threw a twenty dollar bill on the table. "Thanks for lunch, really. But I have to get back to my store, back to real life."

"But its not real life" Haley said, "It's not real when you are hiding from everything."

Brooke rolled her eyes and shook her head. She leaned down and hugged Max tightly, "Aunt Brooke has to go, but I will see you soon, okay Trigger?"

She started the walk back to the store, and constantly told herself that she wasn't going to cry. The last time she had cried, she wasn't able to stop. But she wasn't going to do that anymore. As long as she kept her mind on Averie and her store, she would be okay. She wouldn't break down and she would be able to take care of her daughter. She just needed to forget everything, push all of her feelings and her pain in the back of her mind. If she didn't show emotion, she wouldn't feel that pain. Or so she thought.

**

* * *

**

A/N: What did you think? Leave a review and let me know! I have to take a second and say thank you to everyone who reviews. Your reviews are the reason this story has came so far, and without them I wouldn't have the inspiration to continue it. Your reviews were amazing for the last chapter and I want you to know that I am very grateful for every single review. I don't have time to write personal thank you's, but I want you to know that I am thankful for each of your reviews! I haven't forgotten about this story, and I plan to finish it…I'm not sure when the next update will be, but there will be more to come, so I hope you are all still interested. Also, I think I am going to post a one-shot I wrote awhile ago, so watch out for that as well! Thank you all for being so supportive!

Thank You:

**Brucasfan23, **_Moviegirl1616, _**Brookedavis911, **_Jem (flipflopgal), _**AHJNKCES, **_Dancefever0234, _**Audra (albluvscbg), **_Othfan326, _**Brucas1992, **_Sydney(LoVeBrucas), _**Brucas333, **_Onetreehillgirl066, _**Jc4127, **_BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE, _**Cass (CheerandBrood323), **_Katherine, _**OthPassion01, **_PeterClaire, _**Widdy89, **_Brucas3, _**Onetreefan, **_Dolcegrazia, _**Yana (Yaba), **_XxChristiexx, _**BrucasPurpleMonkey, **_Reina123, _**Whiters, **_BRUCAS1, _**Tanya (tanya2byour21), **_Chebelle, _**Superstargirl7, **_Ichliebebrucas, _**Princ****etongirl, **_Brucas3Naley23, _**Natalie (iluvmedou), **_Jen (courtneylovejason), _**Amy (brucas2008), **_IamCaroline, _**Molly04042000, **_Chasity (chasitybsp), _**Kelsey, **_Sugarush, _**camiluxx4**


	47. Learning To Breathe

**A/N: Wow! I bet you guys thought that I would never update! Well….surprise!! I'm sooo sorry it has taken me so long to get this out! I really have been working on it since my last update. I have just been soooo busy with life in general. But I do think about this story and work on it whenever I have the chance! I'm not giving up on it, so I hope you guys don't either! The song in this chapter is called Dreams Collide and is by Colbie Caillat! I hope this chapter is okay…I wrote it all at different times so I really hope it all comes together okay. Just so you know, this chapter DOES skip forward. I think its time for that! There are even a few flashbacks! Thanks for being soo patient with me!**

_I am stuck here in a moment, _

_And I'm trying to pretend, _

_So I'll play this feeling over and over again. _

**Chapter Forty Seven- Learning to Breathe**

Brooke woke up and surveyed the small room around her. The first thing she noticed was a tiny foot jammed into her side. She gently lifted Averie's foot, and moved it away, and realized that suddenly she could breathe better. She sat up in bed and realized that she had only been occupying a small part of the bed while Averie was sprawled out like a starfish. As she looked at her daughter, she couldn't help but laugh.

Brooke got out of bed, and tried to navigate her way through the boxes and the toys and find her way out of the room.

"Hey" Chae smiled, "You're awake."

Brooke nodded as she sat down on a barstool in the kitchen. "Yeah I am. I feel half dead though, sleeping in the same bed as that kid is a nightmare."

"Oh hey Brooke" Jake said casually as he walked into the room. "I just got off the phone with Nate and Haley wanted to talk to you…something about Tessa walking?" He said with raised eyebrows and a shrug. "So you might want to call her."

"So I'm gone for a week and she starts walking" Brooke laughed, accepting the cup of coffee that Jake graciously offered her.

"Well, I better get going. We are going to be in the recording studio all day with the new artist I signed" Jake said with an excited smile. "It never gets old."

"When are you gonna get Haley recording in the studio?" Brooke asked with a devious smile over the edge of her cup.

"Probably when she has another life" Chae laughed, picturing Haley trying to record music with Max and Tessa at her feet.

"That's exactly what she told me when I brought it up" Jake laughed, leaning down and kissing Chae on the forehead. "I'll see you in a few hours" Jake said, smiling as he kissed Chae once more. "And I'll see you later" He told Brooke before leaving the room.

Chae turned towards Brooke on her stool, "So. What's on the agenda today?"

"Well" Brooke said, smiling widely, "I get to go into the store today. All of the construction and painting is done, so we are going to start setting it all up. Trish's assistant has been doing interviews, and I get to sit in on all of the callbacks and actually pick employees for the new store."

"Sounds like a busy day" Chae said with a smile, happy that Brooke's small company was doing so well. "Are you taking Ave with you?"

"Nope, she's gonna go spend the day with Lucas" Brooke said, taking a long drink of her coffee.

"I get to see daddy today!" Averie cheered, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she walked into the kitchen.

"We were just talking about you Sassy" Chae smiled, lifting the suddenly wide-awake girl into her arms.

"You is?" Averie asked, scrunching her face while she stared at Chae in confusion.

"We were just saying that you get to go have fun with your daddy today while I go to the new store" Brooke said, smiling as she tapped Averie's nose.

Averie nodded, suddenly slipping off of Chae's lap, "Him's gonna be happy to see me, huh mommy?" Averie asked, running out of the room after Brooke nodded. "I gets my shoes on!"

"This whole living in the same city again seems to be working out for Averie. How are you and Lucas handling it?" Chae asked, trying not to be nosey but still dying for answers.

Brooke shrugged, smiling as she watched Averie slip on the tiled floor while she ran out of the kitchen in her footed pajamas. "We've only been here for a week" Brooke reminded Chae. "And Luke and I haven't really talked all that much. I'm happy that Averie gets to see him more, she really needs that ya know?"

"Well maybe it will be good for you and Lucas too… I mean, you are living in the same city now…"

"You know that's not why I decided to move here…"

"Brooke, its been what? Almost ten months since you guys broke up. Do you even remember why anymore? Because I sure as hell don't and I pretty much lived through the whole hellish experience with you."

"That's not the point" Brooke said, rolling her eyes and walking across the kitchen. "Ave, come on you need to eat so I can take you to Daddy's house" Brooke yelled as she pulled a box of cereal out of the cupboard. "And anyways, we are past that. We can actually talk to each other like civilized people now…" Brooke said, eyeing Chae suspiciously as she poured Lucky Charms into a plastic pink bowl.

"Civilized people who's sexual tension fills up a room" Chae said with a tiny smile, getting enjoyment out of watching Brooke squirm.

"Whatever" Brooke said, shaking her head and taking Averie's cereal bowl over to the table. Averie came into the kitchen, dragging her pink blanket behind her. "Just in time Crazy Hair" Brooke smiled, ruffling Averie's hair before lifting her onto the chair.

"Mine's hairs not crazy, you's hairs crazy" Averie giggled, running her fingers through Brooke's hair before turning her attention to the cereal bowl in front of her.

"You'll have to let me know how seeing Lucas goes, if you want me to take Ave so you two can have some alone time, just let me know" Chae said with a wink as she gathered her purse and sunglasses from the table.

"If I would've known that living with you and Jake would mean endless teasing and harassment I would've found a better option," Brooke said, rolling her eyes at Chae.

"A better option like what? Living with Lucas?" Chae asked, sticking her tongue out between her teeth as she grinned at Brooke.

Brooke pushed Chae on the back, guiding her towards the front door, "You are gonna be late, see you later." Brooke closed the front door after Chae left and turned her attention back to Averie. "Sass, your Aunt Chae is crazy."

Averie looked at her mom, her bright blue eyes shining before she covered her face with her two tiny hands and began to giggle uncontrollably.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

As Brooke sat in unbelievable New York City traffic, she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel and tried to remember why moving to the city was a good idea. She had already dropped Averie off with her dad, and was now wishing she would've left Jake and Chae's loft a little earlier to avoid traffic.

The store in Tree Hill had been open for nearly a year and doing great, so when Trish came to Brooke with plans of a New York location two months ago, Brooke had been ecstatic. Brooke had always wanted her small clothing line to be successful, and now she was about to open her second store. She didn't realize that opening this new store would mean her quiet life in Tree Hill would be changing drastically.

Brooke knew that Millie was more than prepared to run the store in Tree Hill, and she also knew that opening the new store in New York would be a lot of work. So when Trish suggested that Brooke move to NYC for a few months, Brooke graciously agreed. She was excited to be back in the city that never sleeps. Not to mention she would get to spend more time with the newly engaged Chae and Jake. She figured it would be good for Lucas and Averie as well, seeing as there would be no more long distance trips for Averie to see her daddy.

But when it came time to move to the big apple, Brooke realized that maybe things weren't going to run as smoothly as she first planned. For starters, she had no where to live and trying to find a reasonably priced apartment to live in without a long-term lease was proving to be a nightmare. She was grateful that Chae and Jake offered her and Averie a place to stay, and while their loft was comfortable for two people, it was crammed with four. Brooke and Averie had to share a room along with all of their belongings.

Brooke also forgot how busy her schedule was while opening a new store. If she wanted things to be done her way, she had to be willing to spend the hours and take the time to perfect everything from lighting, to displays, to staff. Luckily Lucas was more than willing to take care of Averie as much as he could, but he had to work too.

This is when Brooke started to really miss her friends and Tree Hill's tight knit community. Between Owen, Haley and Nathan, Brooke always had someone she trusted to help her take care of Averie. She couldn't imagine putting her little girl in daycare, or hiring a stranger to baby-sit her. At least before Brooke could take Averie with her to the store if she needed to, but now at almost three and a half years old, Averie needed attention and entertainment, the kind that couldn't be found in a small boutique filled with expensive designer clothing.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas smiled happily as Averie reached for his hand, and began dragging him into her pink bedroom. "I maked a bed for my baby" Averie told him, pointing towards a pile of blocks with a blanket on top. "Hers wants a bottle…" She said, pursing her lips and looking around the room, "Tessa not haves a bottle no more a-cause bottles are for babies" She explained with a nod before rooting around in the toy box until she found a tiny plastic doll bottle.

Lucas sat on the floor, happy to watch his little girl play pretend. "Where did you get your baby doll from?"

"Mommy gots hers for me a-take on a plane" Averie shrugged, rocking the tiny doll in her arms as she held the little bottle.

**FLASHBACK**

**Lucas stood in the entryway of the home in Tree Hill that he and Brooke had purchased together. It seemed wrong to feel so awkward in this house. It had been almost four weeks since Brooke had left New York, taking his heart with her. He had hoped that by now she would reconsider, that she would realize that she had made a mistake. **

"**Here's her suitcase" Brooke said quietly as she carried the pink luggage into the foyer. "She is still getting over that ear infection, so the antibiotics are in the front zipper. Just make sure to give them to her twice a day and she should be fine."**

**Lucas nodded, noticing the way her voice seemed void of emotion unless she was talking about Averie. He would blame it on how early it was, the sleep was still evident in Brooke's eyes as well as the rasp in her voice. He had always loved her voice in the mornings…**

"**You can go get her, hopefully she'll stay asleep on the plane and all the way to California" Brooke told him, looking down as she linked her fingers together in front of her, refusing to make eye contact with Lucas.**

**Lucas stood still for a few seconds before stupidly blurting out, "You can still come, I…we still want you to come…"**

**Brooke sadly shook her head, "I don't think that's a good idea, not now." **

**Her voice came out in a whisper, and he watched as her small hands began to shake in front of her. He didn't bother to reply, because they both knew she was right. Obviously it wasn't a good idea for her to join the family trip they had planned months ago, before everything had gone terribly wrong.**

**Lucas walked up the stairs, taking them two at a time so that he could get out of there as fast as possible. He slowly opened the door into Averie's room, only finding an empty crib. As he walked the few steps towards the bedroom that he once shared with Brooke, he wasn't sure that he should enter it, but he pushed the door open anyways. He walked in, trying not to look at anything but the little girl curled up on the bed. As he scooped up Averie in his arms, she dropped her purple monkey and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder and keeping her eyes shut tight.**

**Lucas walked down the stairs, Averie asleep in one arm with her monkey and blanket in his other hand. He stared at Brooke for a few seconds before she stepped towards him and moved Averie's hair off of her forehead. Lucas held his breath, he could practically feel Brooke's body heat radiating off of her and onto him.**

**Brooke kissed Averie's forehead, then stepped back. "I'll see you in a few days."**

"**See you then" Lucas told her, before lifting the suitcase and walking out of Brooke's house. **

**She wasn't going to change her mind, she had already given up. As he walked out to the waiting cab, he finally started to let go.**

**END FLASHBACK**

"Daddy, will yous hold my baby" Averie asked, squinting her shiny blue eyes. "I has to go's to work."

"Alright" Lucas laughed as the little doll was dropped onto his lap. "Where do you work?" he asked, watching as Averie picked up a purse.

Averie looked at him with wide eyes, looking more like her mom by the second. "With a clothes silly" Averie said, shaking her head as she left her bedroom.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Are you getting adjusted to New York?" Trish asked, sitting down and leaning against the wall next to Brooke.

Brooke surveyed the still empty store and then smiled. "Sort of. I love the city, I just need my own place. Chae is great for letting us stay with her, but its just so crowded. The real estate agent is keeping his eyes open for something fabulous, I just don't know if we'll ever find what I'm looking for."

"Yeah, I can imagine that would be difficult." Trish nodded, "How is Averie doing with all of the change?"

Brooke picked at her fingernails, a habit that she needed to stop. "She actually seems to be doing fine. She loves spending time with Chae and Jake, that plus the fact that she gets to see her dad more than once a week and the kid is thrilled."

They both sat quietly for a few seconds before Trish slowly asked, "And how are you and Lucas handling things?"

Brooke shrugged, "It's weird for us still, and we don't really talk about anything but Averie. But I think we are finally at the point where we realize that we are adults and that we need to do what's best for our daughter."

**FLASHBACK**

**It was nearly three in the morning, and Brooke couldn't sleep. So instead, she was emptying all of her kitchen cupboards, hand washing all of the contents, and re-organizing everything. She knew it was silly, and she didn't want to feel like this. **

**Lucas was coming in the morning, it was Halloween weekend, and he was going to spend it in Tree Hill. It had been three months since their break-up, and they hadn't yet figured out how the best way to spend holidays would be. Neither of them wanted to miss out on these special days, so Lucas volunteered to come to Tree Hill. And for some reason this made Brooke nervous. She wasn't exactly sure why, they had been in limbo for three months, trying to stay out of each others way but still managing to spend time with Averie.**

**By the time Averie woke up, Brooke had deep cleaned the kitchen, living room, and downstairs bathroom. She had also ironed the pale pink leotard that Averie would be wearing to go trick-or-treating, as well as fluffing the dark pink tutu and gathering the tights, ballet slippers, and ribbon to go along with the ballerina costume. **

**The morning seemed to drag on for hours, and Brooke silently anticipated Lucas' arrival. After feeding Averie lunch and laying her down for her afternoon nap, Brooke tried to busy herself with sketches. But it wasn't working. The house was too quiet and Lucas would be there soon. **

**She missed Lucas, and was actually excited to see him. Some days were harder than others, and she wanted Lucas to be there with her. She felt alone, and broken, and felt that Lucas was the only one that could fix her. But it didn't seem to matter because either way she had a feeling of emptiness, whether she was with Lucas or without him, and that's what made everything so hard. She missed Lucas so much, but still didn't feel strong enough to actually be with him.**

**A knock at the door tore Brooke from her thoughts, and she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. As she walked to the door, she checked her reflection in the mirror hoping that Lucas wouldn't be able to tell that she was upset. Before she opened the door, she masked her sad eyes with her strong and confident ones.**

"**You made it" Brooke said, eyeing Lucas as he stood in front of her.**

"**Yeah," Lucas nodded, giving Brooke a tight smile. He stepped into the house as Brooke held the door open, "How are you?"**

"**I'm good" Brooke nodded, leading Lucas into the living room. "How are you?"**

**Lucas nodded, "Happy to be here. I can't wait to see Ave in her costume."**

"**Its adorable on her" Brooke grinned, looking over at the pink tutu she had crafted for her daughter. **

"**Thanks for letting me come" Lucas said genuinely. "I'm really glad that we can get past all the tension and do what's best for Averie. A lot of people make it work, the **_**separated **_**parents thing, and I'm glad we can do that for her." As he spoke the words, he started to believe them.**

**Brooke nodded slowly, wishing those words hadn't fallen so easily from his lips. "Me too."**

**END FLASHBACK**

"So what, are you trying the friends thing?" Trish asked, a skeptical smile on her face. "Because I've seen you two together, and the way he looks at you, I can't imagine you guys apart. And I'm sure just being his friend is torture for you."

"It's really not like that Trish" Brooke told her seriously, "I told you I'm over that. We didn't work…"

"But didn't your problems stem from the long distance thing? Maybe there's still a chance for you guys now that you're living here again…" Trish asked hopefully.

Brooke shrugged, "It was a lot of things. I just couldn't handle it anymore, too much had happened, too much had gone wrong, and I lost myself somewhere. It just wasn't meant to be…"

Trish smiled sadly, resting a hand on Brooke's knee. "I'm sorry. I know this has all been hard on you and I don't mean to make it worse or open up closed wounds."

"Its fine, really" Brooke said, giving her friend a small smile of encouragement. She bit on her bottom lip, and then looked up at Trish, "does the friends thing really ever work? Because I just don't see how people can really be friends with someone after they have been in love so deeply?"

The pain in Brooke's voice wasn't lost on Trish, and she slowly wrapped her arm around Brooke's shoulders. "I know its hard for you sweetie, and right now it might seem like there are no answers, but somehow you two will find a way to go about life that works for you."

"But how do you do that when just being in the same room as him makes your heart hurt?" Brooke asked, closing her eyes as she let the words slip from her mouth.

Trish squeezed Brooke's shoulders, "You'll find your way, I know you will. You just have to wake up everyday and keep going. You will move on, whether its together or apart."

"But it can't be _together_, that's not an option anymore" Brooke gasped, realizing that she had been holding her breath. "There's been too much hurt. Just being in this city brings back all of those feelings, all of the hurt, and the anger, and the trust issues. I thought I was over it, I really did."

"I know," Trish sighed, "I know. You're a fighter, and you will get through this."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"So, how is it…with Brooke back in town?" Mouth asked skeptically.

Lucas shrugged, keeping his attention on Averie who was trying to dribble a basketball. "Its different. It's good to see her though, and its nice having Averie so close."

"That kid looks more and more like her mom every time I see her" Mouth commented, turning his attention to the little girl in front of them.

"Dude, look at her eyes…she looks like me!" Lucas defended, throwing his arm out in front of him in Averie's direction.

"Okay, so she has your eyes. Compare that to the hair, dimples, nose and chin though. She is the spitting image of Brooke." Mouth laughed.

"I guess its not a bad thing…" Lucas said with a crooked smile.

"In other words, you like having Brooke back in your life?" Mouth asked, trying to figure out where his friends head was at. He had been worried about Lucas after the Brooke separation, and he just wanted his friend to be happy again.

"By back in my life do you mean the thirty second phone calls and the awkward drop-off and pick-ups?" Lucas asked glancing at Mouth sideways.

"It isn't always going to be like this" Mouth said, his words sure.

"Your right. Because eventually she'll start dating again and just keep going on with her life as usual" Lucas said, trying to keep the sadness in his voice to a minimum. It's not like he could blame her if she did start to date, they had to move on sometime and she was only twenty-four. Hell, he knew he should be more than ready to date again. But that didn't mean he was. He had tried to get interested in other girls during the last ten months, but it came at no avail. Sure, he'd met a lot of women that practically threw themselves at him. But they didn't bite on their bottom lip, or speak volumes with their eyes, or twirl their hair in their fingers or kink their eyebrows when their trying to be cute. None of the girls he had met were Brooke, and that was his problem.

"Has she started to date?" Mouth asked, his voice higher in confusion.

"Not that I know of. Jake hasn't mentioned anything" Lucas shrugged.

"Daddy!" Averie squealed, running barefoot across the grass towards him. "I gots a show you somfin!"

"What is it?" Lucas asked as Averie wrapped her tiny hand around his larger one, pulling him from his sitting position on the back porch and pulling him out into the backyard.

"Look daddy!" Averie grinned, dropping his hand and pointing to the cracks in the cement of his backyard basketball court. "I finded ants!" Averie bent over, following the tiny black ants with her fingers.

"Wow Ava, you found lots and lots of ants" Lucas laughed, admiring his daughters fascination for the littlest things.

"See," Averie said, one of her fingers following a fast-moving ant. "The daddy one." she said, pointing to the ant and then looking up at Lucas to make sure he was following along. When he smiled and nodded she turned her attention back to the ants. "And that's a mommy one" Averie told him, pointing to another ant. "And that's a Avie one, right there! Them ants is going to they own home."

"They are aren't they?" Lucas smiled, crouching down next to Averie.

"The Avie ant and the mommy one don't wanna go to Sae's home. They want to go with the daddy to hims home" Averie explained, nodding her approval as she watched the ants scurry along the pavement.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

By the time Brooke made it back to Lucas' house to pick up Averie she was extremely tired. She felt like she got a lot accomplished at the new store today. Her and Trish started to arrange all the new display cases that arrived after lunch time, and she got to help with employee interviews. She couldn't help but call Millie to make sure that everything was running fine at the Tree Hill store, and was relieved to hear that it was. These next few weeks would be busy, but Brooke knew they would be worth it.

Brooke stood at Lucas' doorstep awkwardly after ringing the bell, fidgeting with the pajamas she had brought for Averie, just in case she fell asleep on the ride back to Jake and Chae's.

"_Come in!" _She heard Lucas call from inside the house, and she slowly turned the door knob and stepped inside. She stood in the entry way for a few minutes, feeling weird to just walk into his house, something that used to be such a huge part of her and her life. She smiled slightly as Lucas came down the stairs, his sleeves pulled up to his elbows and his shirt wet.

He ran a hand through his hair, giving her a sideways smile. "I was just getting Ave out of the bath, I hope that's okay."

"Yeah that's great" Brooke said with a sigh of relief. "One less thing I have to worry about tonight... Here, you might need these" Brooke said, extending her arm and handing Lucas the pajamas she had brought.

"Thanks" Lucas said, his hand lightly pressing on to hers as he took the pajamas. "We made spaghetti-o's for dinner, there's still some in there if you are hungry."

"Tempting" Brooke smiled, raising her eyebrows. "I think I might just get a glass of water if that's okay?"

"You know where the glasses are" Lucas told her with a nod, "I'm gonna go get Ave for you."

Brooke watched as Lucas went back up the stairs, taking them two at a time. After he disappeared from her sight, she went into the kitchen for a drink. She leaned against the counter, trying to get the image of Lucas and a wet shirt out of her mind. She was starting to think that it wasn't good for her to be seeing him so often. It was so much easier when they lived miles apart.

"Mommy!" Averie yelled, running into the kitchen and wrapping her arms around the back of Brooke's knees.

Brooke turned around, lifting Averie into her arms and hugging the little girl tightly. "Momma missed you" Brooke smiled, "Did you have fun today?"

Averie nodded, her head pressed in the crook of her mom's neck. She sat up, placing a hand on Brooke's shoulder and looking her mom in the eyes. "Daddy and Mouth played dress-ups too!"

"They did, did they?" Brooke smiled, winking at Lucas.

Averie wiggled out of Brooke's arms, "Yup! And daddy paints my nails! Look!" Averie grinned, holding her hands out in front of her.

"Wow Luke" Brooke laughed, observing the pink polish that managed to get on Averie's tiny nails as well as around them. "You are really good at that."

"What can I say?" Lucas said sarcastically.

"Well little bug, we better get going" Brooke said.

"I not want to go!" Averie pouted. "We's can watch a movie first?"

"I don't think so sweetie, it's getting kind of late and your daddy has to work tomorrow" Brooke frowned.

Averie glared at Brooke before turning around and walking out of the room, in the direction of her bedroom.

"Come on Ave, its time to go home" Lucas called in the direction that she stomped off. When there was no response Lucas turned towards Brooke and raised his eyebrows.

"Do not even say she is just like me!" Brooke warned, pointing a finger at Lucas.

Lucas held up his hands, trying his hardest not to smirk, "I wasn't gonna say anything. I swear."

"Sure you weren't. Averie, it's time to go!" Brooke called, walking in the direction of Averies room. When she entered it, she saw Averie sitting on the floor playing with the dollhouse she got for her birthday. "I think Sassy has caterpillars in her ears, because she isn't listening to anything I'm saying. What do you think Luke?"

Averie looked up at Brooke, a smile forming quickly on her face.

Lucas brought a finger up to his chin, squinting his eyes at Averie and then turned towards Brooke. "I think you are right Brooke. She _must _have caterpillars in her ears. What are we gonna do about it?"

Averie watched her parents exchange in utter amusement, loving the little game they were playing with her. She brought her hands to her mouth to hold in a giggle.

"I think we gotta _tickle _them outta her!" Brooke cheered, both her and Lucas immediately plunging to the ground and tickling their daughter.

"Nooo!" Averie screeched through her laughter. "I don't….gots a…catlerpillars in….mine…..ears!"

Brooke and Lucas tickled Averie until their laughter was evenly matched with hers. Brooke sat on the ground next to Lucas, and pulled Averie in her lap. She hugged the still smiley little girl against her, unaware of the way Lucas' eyes were glued onto her.

"We better get going girly" Brooke sighed, releasing Averie from her arms. Lucas stood up, reaching his hand out to Brooke to help her up off of the floor. Brooke smiled softly at his hand before taking it and standing up.

Averie clung to Lucas' legs, she looked up at Lucas, giving him the biggest frown she could muster up. "I don't wanna go daddy."

Lucas lifted Averie into his arms, and Brooke felt horrible that her daughter had to go through this. "I'll be out in the living room" Brooke told him, letting Lucas have a couple minutes with Averie.

"Don't be sad Ave, Chae and Jake don't live very far from here. I'll see you tomorrow night, maybe for dinner time again?" Lucas suggested, his tone of voice upbeat.

Averie thought about it for a few seconds and then smile at her dad. She shook her head, getting her hair out of her face and then placed her hands on Lucas' cheeks. "Okay, but can mommy come too?"

"Of course she can" Lucas said with a smile, "Maybe even Chae and Jake too. But if you don't go home and get some sleep then you'll be too tired tomorrow night."

Averie wound her arms around Lucas' neck, hugging him tightly. "Okay daddy." She gave him a kiss, "I love you."

"I love you too Ave." Lucas smiled, letting Averie wiggle out of his arms and pull him out of the room.

"Ready to go now funny bunny?" Brooke asked, her purse and Averie's blanket in her hands.

"Yeah" Averie nodded, "But I don't want to go's to sleep in a car again."

Brooke laughed, rolling her eyes at her little girl. "Well then keep your eyes open silly."

Before Brooke finished her sentence, Averie was already out the front door and headed to the car. Unsure of what he should do, Lucas walked outside with Brooke, each of them taking their time getting to the car.

Lucas shoved his hands in his pockets, "If you need me to take her for a few hours tomorrow I can…"

Brooke looked over at Lucas, giving him a small smile. "Thanks Luke. Its been really great having your help this last week." She paused for a few seconds, watching Averie as she danced around in the driveway next to the car. "I really don't know what I would have done without you."

Lucas shrugged, "Its not a problem. Its really great having you guys here."

Brooke nodded, "It's definitely a change, being back in the city and actually opening a store this time…with a three and a half year old. But its good to be back."

They stood at the end of the driveway, both watching as Averie sang to herself and pranced around in circles, oblivious to the eyes that were watching her.

"I've missed you Brooke" Lucas said, his voice in a whisper. "It really is good having you back."

"Its good to be back" Brooke said, looking up at Lucas and giving him a small smile. "We should probably go. How much do you wanna bet she falls asleep on the ride home?" Brooke asked with a wink. "Ave, lets go girly."

Lucas walked towards Averie, "Alright Sass, I'll see you tomorrow kay?"

Lucas helped Averie get buckled into her car seat, and then stood back watching as Brooke reversed out of his driveway. She smiled and waved once they were out of the driveway. Lucas waved back, watching her tail lights as she left his streets.

It was weird to have her back in New York, back in his house, back in his life. As much as he told himself that he had moved on from Brooke Davis, every time he saw her, heard her voice, or pictured her face he knew he was lying to himself. He just wished they hadn't let things get so bad, or go this far.

_I close my eyes, _

_And try to hide, _

_But I wake when these dreams collide._

**A/N: What did you think? Make sure and let me know in a review! I just want you to know that every time I get a review alert or a PM alert it really gives me inspiration to keep going! You guys are the ones that made me get this chapter out, even though I had to fight my busy schedule to do so! I hope you liked it! I will update again…I'm not sure when, but I WILL update! Thanks to EVERONE who reviewed and sent me PM's! You guys are freakin rad!**

**SPECIAL THANKS TO:**

**Lizzie (onetreehillgirl066), **_childinaband_**, PeterClaire, **_Cass (CheerandBrood323), _**Brucas1992, **_othfan326_**, BRUCAS1, **_pink5288_**, brucas333, **_Christina (brookedavis911)_**, Tanya (tanya2byour21), **_brucas224_**, Brucas3Naley23, **_Brucas True Love_**, Yana (yaba), **_brucas3_**, superstargirl7, **_Princetongirl_**, Sydney (LoVeBrucas), **_Jem (flipflopgal), _**Katherine, **_chasitybsp_**, Natalie (Iluvmedou), **_Amy (brucas2008), _**Jen (courtneylovejason), **_chebelle_**, Brucasgirl42, **_camiluxx4_**, DANI, **_MarianaTeresia_**, mmcabee**


	48. Shoot The Moon

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, but here is the next update! The song in this chapter is called 'Maybe' and is by Kelly Clarkson! Thank you to everyone who is still sticking around and reading this story! It's all for you people! I hope you guys like this chapter, let me know in a review what you thought :)**

_

* * *

I'm strong, but I break _

_I'm stubborn, and I make plenty of mistakes _

_Yeah I'm hard, and life with me is never easy _

_To figure out, to love, I'm jaded but oh so lovely _

_---_

_And I promise I'll try _

_Yeah I'm gonna try to give you every little part of me _

_Every single detail you missed with your eyes _

_Then maybe, maybe, yeah maybe_

**Chapter Forty Eight- Shoot The Moon**

Conflicted.

That was exactly what Brooke Davis felt. She didn't know how else to describe it. And she would be lying if she said her feelings weren't caused by a blonde haired, blue eyed guy named Lucas Scott.

It made it worse when she talked to Haley on the phone earlier. Giving her the gory details of feelings that were starting to resurface. And all Haley managed to do was laugh and then say _"I knew this was gonna happen."_

Would it have been so hard for her best friend to warn her before she moved back to his city. His territory. The place where they first met and fell in love.

Brooke remembered those days vividly. When nothing else mattered to her and Lucas but each other. The way they would do whatever they needed just to see each other, to touch and taste.

But even the beginning of their relationship was messy, it should've been a for-warning of how things would end. Messy.

"Mommy," Averie said timidly, snapping Brooke from her thoughts.

"Yeah sweetie?" Brooke asked, shaking her head and looking over at her daughter.

"I maked a mess" Averie frowned, pulling her hands out from behind her back to reveal purple goop.

"Ave" Brooke groaned, standing up from the couch and immediately holding Averie's wrists in attempt to keep the sticky away from Chae and Jake's furniture. "What were you doing?" Brooke asked helplessly as she guided Averie towards the bathroom.

"I's just makin a san-wich for a snack" Averie frowned, not liking the way they grape jelly made her thumb and pointer finger stick together.

"Next time how about you ask me for help" Brooke muttered, lifting her sticky daughter up to the bathroom sink to wash her hands. "And anyways, we are meeting Daddy for lunch, so why did you want a sandwich?"

"A-cause I was hungry" Averie said, rolling her eyes as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas looked out of the window of the small café just in time to see Brooke's car maneuver its way into the parking lot. He couldn't stop the small smile from overtaking his lips as he watched Brooke climb out of the drivers seat looking amazing as usual. He just wished she wouldn't wear those big sunglasses, he believed she had the most amazing hazel eyes and hated to see them covered up. He laughed as she opened the back door, bending over into the backseat and then dropping a white sandal on the pavement. Averie never kept her shoes on, he knew this. He watched as Brooke lifted Averie out of the car, set her on the ground and took hold of her tiny hand. Of course, the mini-Brooke was wearing her very own pair of pink sunglasses, with her hair piled on top of her head expertly.

He had to admit that he loved having Brooke and Averie back in New York. Now he was able to see Averie almost every day. And seeing Averie, meant seeing Brooke as well…even if she only hung around for a few minutes. It was still good to be in Brooke's company, it was something he had missed.

They had even got to talking. It wasn't anything big, but it also wasn't centered around Averie, so it was improvement. She had told him all about the new store she was opening, and how she was working on a couture line. He had mentioned that he had starting writing again, and she seemed happy about that. Which made him think about the last book he had written. The book he had pretty much written about her. Did she ever read it? Did she even care? Having Brooke so close was bringing back all of the feelings he was trying to hide from, and sometimes he thought it might be better if she wasn't there at all. Then again, she was like a magnet, and he couldn't help but want to be near her.

"Sorry we're late" Brooke said, biting on her bottom lip while she slid into the booth across from him.

"No big deal" Lucas smiled, opening his arms to Averie who climbed onto the booth next to him, "So Sassy, after lunch maybe we can go to the park. What do you think?"

Averie wiggled off of Lucas' lap, sitting next to him and focusing on the coloring paper waiting for her on the table. "Mommy can come too…I can haves crayons?" She asked, uninterested in her mom and dad.

"I don't know…do you know the magic word?" Brooke asked, winking at Averie as she held out four crayons.

"Please?" Averie asked, her eyes wide and her lips pursed together.

Brooke handed Averie the crayons and picked up her menu, distracting herself from the piercing blue eyes staring in her direction. It was a Saturday and the first time the three of them had actually done something together. They had all gone to dinner once, but Chae and Jake were there to break some of the tension. But this time it was big. Just Brooke, Lucas, Averie and a lot of unanswered questions.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke and Lucas walked through Central Park side by side, watching Averie run around the wide open space in front of them. The conversation during lunch had been safe, they skirted around any topics that might make things uncomfortable. By now, Lucas and Brooke were starting to feel at ease around each other. An unmentioned truce had been in place, and things were okay.

Brooke couldn't help but feel entranced by Lucas' presence. It was as if every little detail about him was coming back to her. All of the little things that she adored. Like the way his eyes lit up every time she started to ramble about the little details of her day. Or how when he felt uncomfortable he would shove his hands in his pockets. Even the way he would squint his eyes and scratch his head when he was brooding over something. It was never lost on Brooke the way Lucas was captivated with every little thing Averie said or did. The love he had for their daughter somehow made him even more appealing. And none of that even stood up to the fact that every time he looked at her, he made Brooke feel like the most important, gorgeous, special person in the room.

It made her wonder how they had ever fallen apart to begin with. The long-distant relationship had been hard on both of them. And maybe the trust issues never disappeared from the time that she was pregnant with Averie and alone. Somehow they weren't able to overcome the obstacles that had been thrown at them. Brooke couldn't help but wonder if she could have done something different to begin with.

Brooke looked up in time to see Averie run through a huge pile of orange and gold leaves, tipping her head back in excitement as she listened to the crunches under her feet.

"It's good that she's getting all of this energy out" Brooke smiled, keeping her focus on Averie.

Lucas nodded, walking close to her but keeping his distance at the same time. "She definitely has a lot of energy. I am pretty sure she never stops moving."

"She really doesn't" Brooke laughed, folding her arms in front of her as the autumn wind blew. "I don't think Jake and Chae realized what they were getting themselves into when they agreed to let us move in."

"How is that working out anyways?" Lucas asked, stealing glances at Brooke as they walked.

Brooke shrugged, running her fingers through a strand of wavy hair. "It's fine for now, but I don't know if I can handle it much longer. There just isn't a lot of space, and that's hard. I feel like I'm always trying to keep Ave out of things, and out of the way and even though its not our home, it doesn't seem fair to keep a three year old in such confined spaces."

Lucas nodded his understanding. "I don't know how you two can live out of that small bedroom alone."

"Yeah, its definitely been hard, that's for sure. As frustrating as it is for me, I think its hard for Averie too. She's always had her own space, her own room to do as she pleases…it stresses her out to not have a place for all of her toys and activities."

"Daddy! Watch!" Averie called, waving to her parents who were only a few feet behind her. She twirled in a circle, her white skirt expanding.

Lucas gave Averie a thumbs up and called, "Way to go ballerina" and watched as Averie started skipping down the sidewalk. He turned towards Brooke, examining the small smile that was on her face as she watched her daughter. "Maybe you guys don't have to live there anymore…"

"Right now we don't have another option," Brooke sighed, "Unless I want to sign a year lease on an overly priced apartment. And let me tell you, I don't plan on doing that anytime soon."

Lucas shoved his hands in his pockets, keeping his gaze fixed on the little girl hopping in front of them. "Maybe you could move back in with me temporarily. Averie already has a room there, and it would give you a routine again. I could help with Ave more, and I haven't hardly touched your old workroom…"

Brooke bit on her bottom lip, listening to the sounds of Averie's laughter carry through the leaves and to her ears. She thought of all of the memories that Lucas' house held, both good and bad. If just seeing him sporadically now was twisting her stomach into knots, what would living in the same place as him do to her?

"I don't know if that's a good idea" Brooke said with a frown, "Just not right now anyways. Things are too…confusing."

Lucas squinted his eyes, "Confusing how?"

"Luke, we just started talking again. I don't even know where we stand, or how I feel" Brooke gasped.

"Where we stand? We have a daughter together, we once had a future together, and now I think we are getting back on track to being friends."

"Its all too complicated" Brooke said, shaking her head.

"How can we complicate it more?" Lucas asked.

Brooke was silent for a few minutes, contemplating everything Lucas had said. Friends? They were friends now? She wasn't sure she could just be his friend.

Averie came to a quick halt, suddenly seeming to lose the energy she had only moments before. She turned around, making sure Brooke and Lucas were still only a few steps behind her.

She headed towards Brooke, and lifted up her arms. "Mommy," she said, her voice starting to sound sleepy.

Brooke lifted Averie into her arms, "You tired Sass?" She asked as Averie laid her head on Brooke's shoulder, giving her answer. "How about we take a little break." Brooke suggested, rubbing Averie's back as they walked. Averie linked her arms loosely around Brookes neck and nodded her head.

"Should we head back to the car?" Lucas asked, moving a piece of hair from Averie's forehead, watching as her dark eyelashes began to flutter shut.

"Can we just sit for awhile?" Brooke asked softly, not ready to leave the quiet ease that the park held.

"Of course" Lucas replied, leading Brooke to a park bench just off the sidewalk path.

"Remember when you brought me here?" Brooke asked, admiring the vast space of the park. As soon as they sat down on the bench, Averie curled into Brooke's lap, quickly closing her eyes.

Out of habit Lucas stretched his arm across the back of the park bench, keeping Brooke and Averie safe within his arms reach. "Of course I remember, we were sitting on this exact bench. That was the night you let me in. You told me about your parents, and how that affected you. You let me into your life that night, and it made me care about you even more."

Brooke smiled softly, staring down at Averie who was sleeping soundly on her chest. "It was soon after we had her. Its been three and a half years but it feels like another life."

Lucas nodded, it definitely did feel like another life. If you would've asked him how things were going three and a half years ago as he sat on this bench, the love-struck boy wouldn't have described his life as it is now. Back then there was no doubt in his mind that Brooke would be his forever, but now he wasn't so sure.

"We've both changed so much" Brooke sighed, keeping her voice low.

Lucas was quiet, staring out in front of him. He had just started writing his first book then, a book that was greatly influenced by the girl sitting next to him. "That night you gave me a chance to connect to you. You let me into parts of your life that you hid from the rest of the world. You had feelings, and you weren't afraid to let them be known. What happened?"

Brooke bit on her lip, not sure if she liked what Lucas was saying. She felt her cheeks start to tingle and her eyes start to feel heavy with tears. "A lot has changed Lucas. I'm not that girl anymore."

"Can't you just let me in? Where did we go wrong Brooke? I need to know" Lucas begged, somehow letting his emotions get the best of him.

"What went wrong? What went wrong is that I fell for you hard and fast. I got pregnant and you left me. I don't blame you for that anymore, and I forgave you for it a long time ago, but that still doesn't erase the things that I felt. We make mistakes, all of us do and I understand that. But then we were separated again, and things got hard. It didn't help that my old feelings of not being able to trust you resurfaced. I couldn't go through that again, the thought of losing you to someone else while I was in Tree Hill was unbearable. You were getting closer to that old girlfriend and you were drifting away from me. But maybe that was my fault because after I lost our baby, I lost a part of myself, and I know that I wasn't fair to you." Brooke's voice was coming out in between shallow breaths as she tried to keep her pent-up emotions under control. "I felt empty everyday Lucas, and you were in New York and I wasn't being fair to you or us anymore. I wasn't emotionally available and all I was doing was hurting you and myself."

"I could've helped you through it Brooke, I would have done anything" Lucas said, his hand moving from the back of the bench to her knee. As much as he needed an explanation from her, he hated to hear the words that were spilling from her mouth. He didn't want her to hurt, but he was also angry with the way that she handled things almost eleven months ago. After a few minutes of silence he started again, "But you wouldn't let me. You didn't even give me a chance."

Brooke lowered her head, her chin a few inches away from the top of Averie's head. The hurt in Lucas' voice wasn't lost on her. And she realized that if they loved each other so much that they wouldn't have hurt each other like they had. Maybe there was nothing she could have done differently. Maybe this was just their destiny.

"Maybe we should get going" Brooke said softly after a few minutes of silence.

Lucas stood from the bench, reaching out his arms, "Here, let me carry her to your car" He said, lifting Averie into his arms.

Brooke folded her arms across her chest, and followed Lucas down the winding pathway out of the park and away from the bench where they first fell in love with each other completely.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"_Wow" Haley sighed after listening to details of what happened with Lucas and Brooke in the park. "Well, at least you two got some of your feelings out. Its not healthy to hold all of that in."_

"I know" Brooke frowned, sitting in the quiet darkness of Chae's living room. Chae and Jake had already gone to bed, and Averie had been asleep for hours. But after everything that happened today, there was no way Brooke could even relax. Luckily her best friend was willing to stay up late and listen. "But now its just so awkward."

"_What? Like it wasn't awkward before?" Haley said with a small laugh. "This was bound to happen sooner or later. Maybe it will help things get better for you two."_

"I don't know" Brooke mumbled, "He seemed pretty upset when we left."

"_He probably was" Haley said plainly. "Even though you don't see it, you broke his heart Brooke."_

"I don't know if I'd go that far, and anyways, aren't you supposed to be on my side? He hurt me too" Brooke frowned, twisting a strand of hair around her finger.

"_I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I don't think you would be making a big deal out of all of this if you didn't have some sort of feelings left for him."_

"I'm always going to have feelings for him," Brooke groaned in desperation.

"_I realize that" Haley said, "But maybe you feel guilty for what happened?"_

"What do you mean?" Brooke asked, not understanding what Haley was trying to get at.

"_Maybe you regret the way that things ended?" Haley said plainly. "I'd like to think I know you pretty well Brooke, and I would be stupid if I didn't realize how much you care about that boy. The thought that you might still love him scares the hell out of you, and that's the real problem."_

Brooke closed her eyes, wondering if maybe Haley was right.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The next day Jake and Averie sat on the living room floor, rolling a ball back and forth to each other. Brooke was sitting on the couch, watching them play and thinking about everything that had happened the day before.

"Jay, and times we can bounce-a ball too" Averie said excitedly, wiggling her legs as they laid out in front of her.

"Maybe we should leave the bouncing to outside. Let's just roll the ball for now" Jake told her, trying to keep Averie occupied without things being broken.

"But we can bounce it too" Averie said thoughtfully, trying her luck again knowing that usually Jake always gave in to her.

"I don't know Ava, your Aunt Chae probably wouldn't like that" Jake said, shaking his head and hoping that Averie wouldn't pull one of her pouty faces.

"We cans bounces it outside?" Averie asked.

"Yup, we can. Maybe when you go to your dad's house though" Jake suggested.

"He asked me if we wanted to move in with him yesterday" Brooke said out of no where from her spot on the couch, speaking her thoughts out loud without realizing it.

"Lucas did?" Jake asked, turning around to look at Brooke.

"Jay! Catch-a ball!" Averie squealed, not liking when his attention was turned away from her.

Jake turned back around, and opened his arms so that Averie could roll the ball back to him.

"Yeah, he did. He said that we could live there, that it would be good for all of us and I told him no" Brooke said, shaking her head from side to side. "It's obviously not a good idea, right?"

Jake shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what was best for Brooke and Lucas. Brooke had always been one of his best friends and he always looked out for her. It wasn't lost on him that she hadn't been as happy as she once was, and he knew that it had something to do with Lucas. He wished that there was an easy way out, that somehow Brooke and Lucas could get past all of their problems and just be together. But he wasn't stupid, and he knew that it wasn't that easy.

"How do you feel Brooke?" Jake asked, a question that it seemed he had been asking her often in the past few months. Sometimes he even got an honest answer out of her, and he was hoping this would be one of those times. He hated when she hid from her feelings.

"I feel like I messed up" Brooke told him, the words were true and she had been thinking about it a lot lately. "I don't know if I just want something that's not real, or if Lucas and I really did have a fighting chance. Maybe Lucas is a fantasy, something that is never going to work out."

"If you want my opinion, I think you two have a lot to work through. You have both been hurt by everything that's happened, and I think that you need to talk whether it brings you back together or not. You two have too much that was left unsaid, too many unresolved feelings."

Brooke nodded, "I'm scared though Jake. I don't know how to let him in again."

Averie grew bored of Brooke and Jakes conversation and took her ball into the kitchen, bouncing it on the tiled floor.

"You just need to go talk to him" Jake told her, "It's plain and simple."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas was having an extremely lazy Sunday. The day before at lunch he and Brooke decided that she would come over with Averie for a little while, but after their awkward conversation he figured that plan was a no-go. It was probably a good idea. Him and Brooke together just wasn't seeming to work. They might just have to go back to the not talking so much deal.

Lucas flipped through the channels, trying to find anything to occupy his thoughts. It was a lost cause and he knew it. Brooke being back in New York had flipped his world upside down. He was just getting to a place where he was okay without her in his life, but now he didn't know what to feel. Sometimes all he wanted was to pull her into his arms and kiss her until their problems disappeared. At other times he was so angry with her for leaving in the way that she did, for not giving them a chance and for running from her problems. He was almost starting to wish that she hadn't moved back to New York, but at least this way he got to spend more time with Averie.

When the doorbell rang two times in a row, he couldn't help but be annoyed. He wasn't in the mood to have company. He just wanted to be alone with his thoughts, even if they did eat him alive. When the doorbell rang a third time, Lucas decided he better answer it and tell whoever was there that he wasn't in the mood.

He took his time walking to the door, hoping that his visitor would get annoyed and just leave. But that wasn't the case, because when he opened the door it was the last person he expected.

It was Brooke, and she was by herself.

"Can I come in?" She asked, her hands folded together and her words coming out so rushed to the point where they were almost jumbled.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke pulled her wrap sweater tighter around her before sitting down at Lucas' house. Now that she was actually there, her nerves started to kick in. She had been antsy to get to his house the whole drive over, but now that she was here she wasn't sure if it was such a good idea anymore.

"So what's going on?" Lucas asked skeptically, folding his arms in front of him as he leaned against the wall.

Brooke scanned the room, not able to keep her eyes fixed on Lucas. She pulled on the sleeves of her sweater, "I just feel bad about the way we left things yesterday," Brooke shrugged, biting on her lip she continued, "There is just so much left unsaid and I think its time that we talk."

"What should we talk about?" Lucas asked, his voice low and cold. "Should we start with the way you get scared and run or with the fact that you seem to say one thing and act another way. You left with hardly an explanation, and for the last eleven months I had to carry that with me. The fact that I thought we were in this together, that I loved you, and that you weren't willing to fight for us. You just gave up Brooke, and I had no say in it."

Brooke exhaled deeply, not realizing how upset Lucas was actually going to be. She could feel the tears burning at the corners of her eyes as she began to speak. "I'm sorry Lucas. I have to live with that day too, do you think I slept good every night after I left you in New York? Because I didn't. Yeah, I did get scared, and maybe walking away from everything was the wrong thing to do. But you have to realize that my life was falling apart in front of me after the baby, and I couldn't handle it anymore. I was alone Lucas, and you might have noticed that if you weren't here gallivanting around with that _friend _of yours."

"If you want to talk about friends maybe we should be talking about Owen instead. It wasn't easy for me to see how close you two became after everything happened either. And I don't see what the big deal is, I told you nothing ever happened with Tiffany. I wouldn't do anything to lose you. Not that it matters anyways since you still left." Lucas sunk down into a chair, leaning his head back and running his hands through his hair.

"What do you want Lucas? What do you want me to say, because I am really trying here. I know I made a mistake, maybe the biggest one I have ever made. But the least you could do is try to be a little bit understanding." Brooke was now standing, pacing back and forth in front of the couch. She stood closer to Lucas now, and could tell he didn't know what to say. She ran her fingers through her hair, and then blurted out, "I miss you."

Lucas just stared at her blankly, "Sometimes _I miss you _isn't enough."

Brooke was stunned. She thought he would respond a little bit differently, maybe even confess that he missed her too. But that obviously wasn't the case. She turned away from him, walking out of the living room. She stopped before she left the room, turned around, and said "I'm sorry Lucas, for everything."

Lucas didn't say anything. He just watched as she left the room. He listened as his front door opened and closed. He couldn't hear her anymore, but he was almost positive she was in her car and backing out of his driveway now. But he didn't regret his decision not to stop her. She was getting good at leaving, and he was getting used to it. This time he couldn't put all the blame on her though since she was at least trying. But that didn't make it any better. He was hurt and broken, and for some reason, as much as he wanted to forgive her, he couldn't. He felt like he was still recovering from the last hard blow, and wasn't sure if he was ready to try again and wait in anticipation for the next one.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

**A/N: What did you think?? Make sure and let me know in a review! Hopefully during the break from school I will be able to get a few more updates out! Thanks for sticking by this story, youguys are the best! XOXOX Lindsay :D**

**.:.:. to these amazing reviewers.:.:.:.**

**dolcegrazia**

**Brucas329**

**xxChristiexx**

**yaba**

**MarianaTeresia**

**Jem (flipflopgal)**

**superstargirl7**

**Cass (cheerandbrood323)**

**onetreehillgirl066**

**BrucasNaleyluvr**

**Brucasfan23**

**pink5288**

**courtneylovejason**

**moonkiss**

**tiggerlovesbroody07**

**princetongirl**

**chasitybsp**

**Christabella**

**Katie (BrookeDavis23)**

**Dani**

**Brucas1992**

**Katherine**

**Brucas1**

**PeterClaire**

**Brucas True Love**

**othfan326**

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)**

**Molly**

**Brucas3Naley23**

**whiters**

**Brucasgirl42**

**tanya2byour21**

**Amy (brucas2008)**

**brucas333**

**Christina (brookedavis911)**

**izzie23**

**chebelle**

**_I Love You All!_**


	49. I Caught Fire In Your Eyes

A/N: Okay everyone, here is the newest chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviews! Your guys' response to the chapters is what helps me write them. I love to hear what you like, what you don't like, and what you want to happen. All of your ideas and suggestions are more helpful than you probably know! So, I've had this chapter written for awhile now, I just kept putting off posting it so that I could make a few changes, but I think its ready now! I hope you guys like it… Don't forget to review! The song in this chapter is by Celine Dion and its called 'It's all coming back to me'. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Forty Nine- I Caught Fire In Your Eyes**

_**There were nights when the wind was so cold **_

_**That my body froze in bed **_

_**If I just listened to it **_

_**Right outside the window **_

Lucas sat alone in his house, the meaningless hum from the TV making the background noise for his thoughts. He didn't plan on being so unforgiving when Brooke finally decided to apologize for everything that had happened between them, he had actually been waiting for this moment. He didn't know why he was so suddenly washed over with such anger and resentment, but he couldn't help it. She deserved to know how he had been feeling all of these months. Maybe he had been a little bit harsh, but it was the release he had been needing, he had been harboring these ill feelings for nearly a year now, and it wasn't good for him.

Lucas finally willed himself to get up from the chair that seemed to be fixed to his rear and made his way into the kitchen. During the short walk to the fridge, he tried to tell himself that the way he had treated Brooke was perfectly fine, that he wasn't being harsh at all. But that didn't stop the ache in the pit of his stomach from telling him otherwise.

He paused for a second before opening the refrigerator door and looked at the snapshot of Averie that was hung with a magnet. He traced the outline of her smile, nodding his head as his finger landed on her dimpled cheek. Lucas ran a hand over his head and then opened the fridge, reaching for a can of beer and popping it open effortlessly.

**Flashback**

**It had been two weeks since Brooke left him in New York, and by now he realized that maybe things weren't going to just get back to normal. At first he thought she was just upset, and that eventually she would realize that she had misunderstood him and Tiffany's relationship. But the days kept adding up, and his phone calls to her were still unanswered. Lucas was frantically realizing that Brooke didn't want to be with him anymore and that all the hurtful words actually held some truth behind them. He set his newly opened beer can on the table in exchange for his cell phone and scanned through the names in his phonebook. **

"**Hey," He said almost sheepishly, "It's me."**

"_**Right. How are you?" The voice asked timidly on the other end.**_

"**Do you think maybe she'll talk to me now?" Lucas asked, ignoring the pleasantries that Chae was trying and failing to give.**

"_**I don't think so Luke, I'm sorry." Chae told him, a hint of regret-fullness in her voice.**_

"**Can you at least tell me how she's doing? I just don't know what to do or think anymore."**

**There was silence on the end, and it was making him nervous. Obviously Chae was the wrong person to call, its not like she was going to willingly give up details about Brooke, not to him anyways. He shut his eyes and rested his elbows on the table. **

"_**Honestly…" Chae started, positive that if Brooke caught her talking to Luke she wouldn't be so welcomed in her friends house anymore. "She could be doing better. But Averie and the store are keeping her busy."**_

"**That's all?" Lucas groaned in frustration, trying to keep his voice calm even though Chae was obviously unwilling to give him any details. "Will you just tell her I want to talk to her?"**

"_**Yeah, I will" Chae nodded sadly, knowing that the message wouldn't be so well received by her brunette counterpart.**_

"**Thanks," Lucas mumbled before ending the call.**

**Lucas rolled the beer can in between his hands before raising it to his mouth and taking a long swallow. But the can wasn't quenching his thirst nor was it taking away his pain, and that's when he decided that he was going to need something stronger.**

**Over the next few weeks he would retire to a shotty bar everyday after work. He needed something to help him forget about everything that had gone wrong, and hard liquor seemed to do the job fantastically. The only problem was that by morning his head was pounding and his house was still empty. He didn't roll over in bed to be greeted by Brooke, and he didn't hear Averie making noise in her bedroom. **

**By September Lucas had his routine down perfectly. He still made sure to make trips down to Tree Hill to visit Averie, and luckily Nathan and Haley had offered him a place to stay every time. But Brooke still wasn't talking to him, she hardly even looked at him anymore. While in New York he would console himself with a bottle of Jack Daniels, or whatever else he could find. He was slacking at work, and the producers of his sports show made it known, but it didn't phase him too much. And even though Jake had become somewhat of a good friend, he was getting kind of annoying. Lucas knew it was hard on Jake, because he had somehow found himself in the middle of Luke and Brooke's break-up, but Lucas still couldn't handle the constant babysitting. **

"**So, are you two over then?" Tiffany asked unenthused from her spot on Lucas' couch.**

**He wasn't in the mood for company, and he had tried to turn Tiffany away nicely when she showed up announced, but apparently she couldn't take a hint and now she was sitting on his couch nursing a bud-light.**

**Lucas leaned his head back, rolling his eyes. He just didn't have patience for her anymore, not after the damage she unknowingly helped cause to his relationship. "No. We aren't **_**over**_**" He choked out bitterly.**

**Tiffany shrugged, pursing her lips together and running her finger along the condensation of the can she was holding. "Well, I was just wondering because I haven't seen her around since that one night…" When Lucas didn't respond Tiffany gave him a small smile and quickly changed the subject. "It's been great being back in town, getting to hang out and catch up and everything. We are having a small party at my work…and well, I was wondering if maybe you would want to come with me?"**

**Lucas leaned back into the couch, closing his eyes and shook his head. "I'm sorry Tiffany, but I don't think that's a good idea. I know we have known each other for a long time, and I'm glad we have been able to stay in touch, but I don't want you to get the wrong ideas about us… I don't have any intentions of being with any other woman than Brooke, and I hope you don't feel like I've been leading you on. We closed that chapter a long time ago."**

**Tiffany slowly stood up, running manicured fingers through her long haired. "Okay," She nodded, smiling softly at Lucas as she picked up her purse. "When your phantom feelings for Brooke go away, I'll be around." She gave him one last quick smile and quietly exited his house.**

**End Flashback**

Lucas finished his first beer off in record time, and within minutes was back at the fridge to retrieve another. He felt an overwhelming amount of guilt wash over him, and he couldn't believe what he had done. So what if Brooke had left him broken and hurt? It's not like he hadn't ever left her in a delicate state like that before. She was actually willing to open up to him, and that was a huge step considering she had seemed to close herself off from everyone around her for more than a year now.

He found himself slowly slipping back down the dark hole, drinking relentlessly to make his problems go away.

* * *

Brooke walked into Chae and Jakes kitchen ready for a long day in her new store. She walked in just in time to witness Averie drowning a plate of blueberry pancakes in syrup while Chae's back was turned.

Brooke stepped up behind her sneaky daughter who still held the syrup bottle upside down over her soggy pancakes.

"Hey munchkin" Brooke smirked, ruffling Averie's messy brown hair. "I think that is way more than enough syrup for you."

Averie turned around and looked up at her mom with wide eyes. "Whoops" She said with a nervous smile, knowing that she had been caught.

"What did I tell you about so much syrup?" Chae asked, turning around and raising an eyebrow at Averie.

"Not's to gets anymore a-cause my pan-a-cakes not knows how to swim" Averie repeated, scrunching her tiny nose and lips.

Brooke raised her eyebrows at Chae who just smiled and said, "That's right" with a pleased nod. Chae then held up her spatula and turned to Brooke, "Do you want one or two to start off with?"

"Pancakes?" Brooke questioned, her every move being observed by the three year old with a mouth full of the mentioned food. "I'm not hungry, I think I'm just going to stop by Starbucks on the way to the store."

"I can haves hot chocolate?" Averie asked with an anxious grin at the mention of Starbucks, syrup dripping off of her fork and onto her lap.

"I'll take you for hot chocolate later if you are good for Chae today" Brooke said, tapping Averie on the nose.

"You really should eat breakfast" Chae said with confidence, flipping the sizzling pancake on the griddle with ease. "You know, it is the most important meal of the day. And seeing as you are going to be running around like a mad woman at your store today, I think its even more important."

"I know, I know" Brooke sighed, trying to ignore the sticky globs that were making a home in her daughters hair. "But I really have to get going, I'll get something to go, I promise."

Chae just shook her head dismissively and added the freshly made pancake to the plate to the side of her.

"Thanks again for watching Avie-bug today" Brooke said, grinning down at her smiley daughter, "I'll have my phone if you guys need me."

"Well, I think we will be perfectly fine without you for the day. I am pretty sure a visit to the park is in order" Chae said with a nod, watching as Averie's blue eyes sparkled.

"Alright Syrup-Monster, I gotta go to work now. You have a fun day with Chae, and don't forget to take a bath after breakfast" Brooke said, nervously eyeing the syrup that was starting to dry in clumps in Averie's hair.

"Okay Mommy" Averie grinned, not bothered in the least bit to spend a day with Chae. Averie set her fork down and moved her hair out of her face with sticky fingers. She then lifted her chin to give Brooke Eskimo kisses.

"I'll see you later baby, be good" Brooke smiled, kissing Averie's forehead. "I love you Sass."

"Love you too Mommy" Averie said, turning her attention back to the sticky mess in front of her.

**

* * *

**

_**There were days when the sun was so cruel **_

_**That all the tears turned to dust **_

_**And I just knew my eyes were **_

_**Drying up forever **_

A day at her store was exactly what Brooke needed. Being around her clothes and being in charge was invigorating. It somehow made her forget about everything else, and just be able to do the one thing she knew she was good at…design. She felt like she had put the new store at the bottom of her to-do list. She had somehow made everything else a priority, and was starting to feel guilty.

Her thoughts had been so consumed with Lucas, that she was forgetting everything else. But it wasn't going to be like that anymore. She was going to keep her priorities straight for the remainder of her time in New York. _Number One- _Averie. _Number Two- _Clothes Over Bro's.

But for some reason she couldn't stop rehashing her visit to Lucas' house last night. Normally she would brood about his actions, cry because he had been so harsh. But instead she just felt embarrassed. She just wished she hadn't gone over there. She made herself so weak and vulnerable, and for what? For it to get thrown back in her face. She didn't want to be that girl anymore. She wanted to be the self-confident, happy, positive, graceful woman she used to be.

**Flashback**

**It was October, and the Tree Hill air had cooled down quickly. Brooke found herself taken aback, not ready at all for the cold weather to come. All of Averie's pants and jackets were boxed away in her closet, and Brooke doubted the warm clothes even fit the growing almost three year old these days. **

**Averie. She was the only thing that seemed to occupy Brooke's mind these days. Except between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Then her store was also on her priority list. Averie and Brooke's fashion line were the only things that were keeping her sane these days. That and the Xanax that she had been taking to help her relax.**

**Brooke didn't feel anything anymore. She didn't cry as much as she used to after the loss of her baby and leaving Lucas. She was starting to close herself off to everyone, and she knew it. After she lost her baby and left Lucas, Chae came to stay with her. Brooke really didn't feel like being babysat, but her friend just **_**wouldn't **_**leave. But honestly, Brooke didn't know if she would have been able to make it without her brown-haired ally. Chae had been there to take care of Averie on the days Brooke couldn't get out of bed. She was there to look over Brooke's store on the days she refused to leave her bedroom. Chae was a lifesaver, and even though she had been gone for the last three weeks, Brooke felt ready to get her life back on track.**

"**Mommy" Averie whined, jumping up and down as she pulled on Brooke's hand. "Yet's go a car!"**

**Brooke snapped out of her thoughts and turned her attention to her daughter. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw Averie's shoes on the wrong feet. "Can we fix your shoes first? I don't think you are going to be able to run as fast as Max with your shoes on the wrong feet."**

**Averie giggled and plopped down onto her bottom, lifting her foot in the air so Brooke could take her shoe off. "I's and Max is make a cas-a in-a sand!"**

"**Yup" Brooke smiled, successfully switching Averie's shoes. "Your shovel and your bucket are in the car so you can make a giant castle!"**

**Brooke and Averie met Haley and her kids at the beach. Averie was thrilled to play with Max. The two were pretty much joined at the hip and were the best of buddies. The beach was pretty empty because of the sudden surge of semi-cold jacket weather, but the ocean was bright blue and the sand was soft.**

**Brooke and Haley sat on beach chairs, watching as Averie and Max dug around in the sand. Tessa was sprawled across Haley's' chest, covered with a blanket as she napped.**

"**So, Luke said he's coming this weekend to spend some time with Ave" Haley said casually, darting her eyes towards Brooke. "I think its great he comes down so often."**

"**Yeah" Brooke said calmly, not seeming to even listen to what Haley was saying. Which wasn't new, Haley had noticed Brooke becoming more disconnected by the day. She hated seeing her best friend like this, and she knew it had a lot to do with Lucas not being a part of Brooke's life anymore.**

"**Have you talked to him much?" Haley asked nervously, hoping Brooke wouldn't get upset like she had previously when Lucas was mentioned.**

"**Nope." Brooke said, her voice void of any emotion. "Ave has had that cough for three days now, do you think I should take her in?" Brooke asked, life only returning to her voice when she spoke of her daughter.**

"**Max has had that cough too" Haley shrugged, "It's just a virus that's going around, so cough medicine should be enough to get rid of it."**

**Brooke nodded, "You can never be too careful."**

**Haley was silent, listening to the high-pitched squeals coming from the toddlers and running her fingers along her sleeping baby's back. She hated the way Brooke refused to make eye-contact with her.**

**End Flashback**

* * *

_**There were moments of gold **_

_**And there were flashes of light **_

_**There were things I'd never do again **_

_**But then they'd always seemed right **_

Lucas hated Mondays. He hated going to work, because the days were extra long. At work they had to cover everything that happened over the weekend, and it made their laidback sports show extra chaotic. All of the producers were always on edge, probably because they didn't want to be at work either.

But this Monday was worse. He not only had an unforgiving hangover, but he also had the flashbacks of his asshole remarks that he had made to Brooke the night before.

"You look like shit." Ty, his coworker, informed him pitilessly.

"Thanks" Lucas replied with a raised eyebrow.

Ty was 23, a few years younger than Lucas. He had graduated college a year ago, and was instantly offered a spot on the team of Lucas' show. It was a dream job for Ty, who was an all around guy's guy. He loved being able to be in front of the camera when he traveled to different sporting events, and he loved to be behind the camera when it came to producing. Ty was very personable and seemed to get along with everyone, a quality that Lucas had once possessed himself. Lucas had instantly gotten along with the muscled, dark-haired heartbreaker.

"Please don't tell me you were knocking them back without me" Ty said, shooting Lucas a shining smile. "I told you that when you go to the bar you _have _to call me. Ever since Tasha left I have been dying to get some decent ass, and we all know that the ladies flock to you."

"I think you have us mistaken" Lucas laughed, he had been an eye witness to Ty's womanizing abilities.

"We both know you are hott shit when we go to the bar" Ty shrugged.

"We went to the bar once, and if I remember correctly you went broke from buying shots for your admirers" Lucas said, squinting his eyes at his grinning friend.

"Okay, maybe you are right. But if you stick with me, then maybe I can help you with the women" Ty said with a shrug. "Speaking of…have you and your ex hooked up yet? I know she's been in town for what, at least a month now? And if you ain't hooking _that _up, then someone should be, and I for one wouldn't mind taking her off your hands."

"I told you it's a sticky situation with me and Brooke" Lucas sighed as he scratched his head. From the way Ty was drooling, Lucas knew he shouldn't have shown Ty a picture of Brooke.

"From the way your drunk ass talks about her, you two had an epic love story" Ty said with a nod.

Lucas could kick himself for getting drunk and spilling every detail about Brooke to his friend. Ty had called him a 'whipped pussy' for months after their emotional one-sided drunken conversation.

"Well" Lucas groaned, "I may have taken a few steps back when it comes to Brooke…"

Ty's eyes grew wide, "God, you are a screw up. What did you do now?"

Lucas told Ty about the night before instead of running over the notes for today's show. Lucas tried to make himself out of less of an asshole than he really had been, but Ty's shocked looks said it all.

"It looks like you have some groveling to do Big Man" Ty said with a shake of his head. "I'm talking flowers, _lots _of flowers."

As much as Ty tried to be a tough guy, he was a romantic at heart. Lucas knew that one day, once Ty had found the right girl that he would make a great boyfriend or husband. And even though Ty gave Lucas endless amounts of shit about his failed attempts with Brooke, Lucas knew that Ty really did care and was a good friend.

"But don't you think she deserved to know a little bit of what I was feeling?" Lucas asked defensively.

"She did, you two obviously need to talk about those things. But when she is finally opening up to you? That is not the time to be a dick." Ty said with a ruthless shrug. "I'm starting to wonder what she saw in you in the first place. You must have _rocked _her world, because from what I can tell you have been somewhat of a jackass."

"Flowers?" Lucas repeated with squinted eyes.

"Flowers." Ty nodded, "And cake. Chicks love cake."

* * *

Brooke had forgotten how it felt to run around New York City in five inch designer heels. She didn't know how her and Chae managed to do so in their carefree days in the past. Brooke for one was exhausted.

She had started her morning at her store, deciding on the floor plan of shelving, racks, and mannequins for the store that would soon be filled with her designs. She then sat in two very long meetings with Trish and other executives. They had started making their plans for advertisement of the new store. They went over budgets, magazine ads, and photo shoots. They had considered an open house with endless amounts of wine and a chocolate fountain. Brooke even pitched a new idea that she had been thinking about for awhile, a children's clothing line. She was constantly designing clothes for Averie and was pleased when Trish and everyone else behind the Clothes Over Bro's label was thrilled to see her designs of the tiny fashion line. After her meetings Brooke and Trish had interviewed the final group of women applying to work in the new store. They had made cuts and hired ten new employees for the store.

By the time Brooke made it back to the store to look over fabric swatches for her spring line, even though winter hadn't started, Brooke was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in a blanket with Averie and watch a silly cartoon or Disney princess movie.

Brooke sprawled out on the empty floor of her shop, her shoes discarded behind her. She knew that she shouldn't be sitting on the floor in the short Dolce dress she was wearing, and that because she was sitting on the floor in a dress that she should be more lady-like and at least cross her ankles or something. But she didn't really care, right now comfort was key.

As she sat on the floor fingering the different exquisite fabrics she couldn't help but let her mind wander to Lucas. She hated quiet moments like this, at least when she was busy it was easier to distract her thoughts. She decided to dismiss the thoughts of the blonde and instead focus her attention on the fabrics in front of her. She sighed as she looked out the front windows of her store. She watched as the sun began to set, revealing a bright orange that shone over the tall buildings all around her store. She watched for a few moments as people rushed around the sidewalks, going home for the day. It was a little after five, and she too was ready to go home.

Brooke turned her attention back to the fabric, making notes of the ones she liked best on a notepad to her side. The sooner she finished this task the sooner she could go home and be with her favorite little girl in the world.

"We aren't open yet" Brooke called distractedly as she heard the door to her store open. She finished writing the note on her paper before looking up to see who had entered the empty shop.

"I was hoping you would still be here," Lucas said softly, offering her a small nervous smile.

_**If you forgive me all this **_

_**If I forgive you all that **_

Brooke shuffled off of the ground quickly, straightening her dress and running a hand through her hair. She stared up at Lucas, her eyes scanning his face in confusion.

He brought his hands from behind his back, revealing a bouquet of Daisies. "I'm sorry for yesterday, and even though you have every right to be angry with me, I hope we can talk. If you want to kick me out I understand."

Brooke bit on her bottom lip as a million emotions flooded her body. Her head was telling her to blow Lucas off, that he deserved it, but her heart was the one that won the internal battle when she muttered, "Stay."

Lucas let out a long breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. He smiled and lifted up a brown bag that he had been holding in his other hand. "Well, in that case, I brought take-out."

Brooke's stomach started to grumble just at the sight of the bags of food Lucas was holding. She hadn't even realized she was hungry until now. "How did you know I would be here?" Brooke asked curiously.

"Well" Lucas started, sitting down on the floor of Brooke's store and emptying the first brown bag of its contents. "I stopped by Chae and Jake's first, Chae and Averie were out somewhere and Jake told me that you were working today. But, being Jake, he had no idea where you would be. Then I called Chae, and after some groveling she called Trish, because she didn't know where you would be either. Trish told Chae that you were coming back to the store for a little while, so I got here as fast as I could."

"Very James Bond" Brooke smirked, now sitting as well and looking through the cartons of Chinese take-out. She didn't waste time before digging into the Mushu Pork that Lucas brought.

Lucas was quiet, he didn't know why Brooke was being so kind to him after everything he had said to her the day before. He knew he wouldn't be able to eat in peace until he had everything off his chest, so he decided to start talking. "Brooke, I really am sorry for how I acted yesterday. I don't know what came over me, and I don't want to make excuses for myself, because I was an ass."

"It's okay" Brooke shrugged. "I probably deserved it."

"You didn't" Lucas said plainly. "I want us to work through everything that's happened, and I want us to somehow get back on track to at least being friends."

"I think that would be a good idea" Brooke said with a nod, poking around in another carton of food with her chop sticks. She had decided to let some of her stubbornness go. She was sick of running in circles with Lucas, she was ready to call a truce. "We've both screwed up Lucas, a lot. I don't know if we'll ever to get back to where we once were, but we don't need to be at war with each other either. I know we can't forget everything that happened, but maybe we can just move on?"

Lucas smiled softly, nodding his head. "I'd like that."

During the next twenty minutes they had finished off all five cartons of food that Lucas had brought. Brooke could feel her stomach expanding by the moment, but she had never felt better. They had talked about Averie, about their jobs, and were even laughing together at some points in their conversation. They both felt an extreme amount of weight being lifted off their shoulders, and it felt great in the moment. When they were together and pushed all of their frustrations and problems to the side it was simple. It was easy to be comfortable with each other, and they slipped back into their joking rhythm with ease.

Brooke leaned forward, poking at the remaining brown bag that Lucas had brought. "What's in there?"

Lucas couldn't help but laugh as he lifted a cake out of the bag, turning it so Brooke could read the wish of Happy Birthday that was written on the top with frosting.

"Cake?" Brooke said with a kinked eyebrow. "Chinese food and cake?"

Lucas shrugged with a laugh, "It's a long story. Are you not into flowers and cake?" He asked, narrowing his eyes playfully at her.

Brooke smiled, reaching for the cake and removing the top. "Oh, I am definitely into flowers and cake."

Lucas retrieved two plastic forks from the bag and handed one to Brooke, "I hope you aren't into plates because I didn't really have the resources to plan ahead and bring them."

Brooke scrunched up her face and shook her head, "Nah, who needs plates?"

They sat across from each other, neither of them being shy as they attacked the cake with vigor. Lucas knew he was lucky that Brooke had been so forgiving, the night was going better than he thought it would. He loved watching the corners of her mouth curve into a smile, and enjoyed the infectious sound of her laughter. He had missed the light in her sparkling hazel eyes that had seemed to be missing.

"I miss you too Brooke" Lucas said suddenly, catching her off guard. She looked up at him with narrowed eyes and frosting on her lip and finger. "You said you missed me last night. I miss you too, probably more than you even realize."

_**We forgive and forget **_

_**And it's all coming back to me **_

* * *

A/N: I hope you guys liked that chapter, let me know in a review! Thanks again to everyone who reviews, they are the inspiration for this story. Happy Holidays--XOXOX Lindsay.

**.:Big Thanks:.**

**Dolcegrazia**- I'm so glad you are still reading and enjoying this story. You are right, it has been pretty sad lately, but I think we are almost ready for a turn-around, so that's good right! Thank you for always reviewing and letting me know what you think of the chapters! It really is helpful!

**Jen (courtneylovejason)**- Thank you for your review, and yes, I do remember your name ha-ha…I just get kinda distracted sometimes! See, as long as you know its gonna get better you can get through the crappy chapters! I'm glad you are still reading my story! I really do need to get caught up on yours, one day… Thanks for the great reviews!

**Chebelle**- Thank you thank you for your reviews! They are always sooo much fun to read and always give me all sorts of awesome inspiration! I'm glad you liked the chapter, even though Lucas sucked at the end. I'm glad you see where Brooke is coming from too though. And I agree with you, there is just something about Brooke and Haley, they just make great friends! I'm also happy that you love how I write Averie still! Anyways, thank you for always reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter!

**PeterClaire**- I'm glad you can understand where Lucas is coming from. I'm also happy that you liked the chapter even though it was very very sad. Don't worry, things will be turning around…I mean it is Brucas! Thank you for still reading and reviewing this story!

**Sydney (LoVeBrucas)**- Well, just when you think things are going one way I have a way of surprising you! You know how it goes haha. Thanks for still reading even though I suck at updating haha. I love reading your reviews! I hope you like this chapter…it's not too sad!!

**Yana (Yaba)**- First of all, I have to say…I love your reviews. It's almost like you always know what to say and exactly what I am trying to portray in my chapters. I'm glad you realize that them getting back together isn't an easy task, and that both of them are going to have a few issues they need to work out. I'm glad that you can see both Brooke and Lucas' sides of things and why they deal with it how they do. Thank you for your amazing reviews, I look forward to them every chapter. Also, I hope you don't mind, but I put a link to your story on my profile…just because, its well…amazing! Thanks again for your perfect reviews.

**IamCaroline**- Thank you so much for still reading and reviewing this story! Your reviews help give me inspiration to keep writing even when life gets hectic, so thank you. I'm glad you liked the chapter. I'm glad you understand that Brooke was taking a huge risk by letting out her emotions to Lucas…some people just don't get that haha. I'm honored that this is your favorite story! I love reading your reviews and seeing what you think. I hope you like this chapter! Thank you!

**Jem (flipflopgal)**- I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! I'm glad you realize that everything will work out in the end even though there are some issues still! Thank you for reading and reviewing!

**Othfan326**- I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Yes, you are so right…they did reverse roles. I figured it was only fair haha, that way they can understand each other a little better once they have walked in the other ones shoes. It really made me smile to read your review, I was so happy that you noticed that! You totally understand where I'm coming from and that's a huge relief! We are getting sooo super close to the first chapter too, just so you know. Anyways, I love your reviews. Thank you so much for always reading and reviewing even when there are gaps between updates. Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter.

**Chasitybsp**- Thank you for always reviewing! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and notice that things are finally starting to progress for Brucas! I hope you like this chapter!

**Long Live BRUCAS**- First of all, I love your name on here..perfect! You are right, they need to communicate more! I'm glad you understand where Lucas is coming from. I hope you like this chapter! Thank you for reviewing!

**Brucas3**- I'm so glad you liked the chapter. I'm glad you were happy with Brooke reaching out to him. I hope you like this chapter! Thanks for always reviewing!

**Miralinda**- Yeah, Lucas was having a few issues in the last chapter…but I hope you like this one more! They are finally making some progress! Baby steps! Anyways, thanks for reviewing, its great to hear what you think!

**Katherine**- As always, I love, love your long detailed reviews. And I miss the carefree days too. Haha. Don't worry, Brucas is on their way to happy. I am getting sick of writing depressing Brucas haha. I'm glad you love Averie, I have some funny Averie moments coming up in the future that I hope you'll enjoy! I'm glad you see Brooke's point of view, even though it is frustrating! Its true though, they just need to get over themselves. And its okay, Lucas annoys me on the show and sometimes I can't help but take that out in this story too… I hope you like this chapter…its starting to get less depressing! Thanks for always being so helpful and leaving me honest reviews! You know I love them right?? We will talk soon I'm sure!!

**BRUCAS1**- I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you like this one as well! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Cass (CheerandBrood323)**- I'm glad you liked the chapter…even if they didn't jump into each others arms and get back together haha. I hope you like this chapter…they are at least making progress haha. Thanks for always reading and reviewing!

**Katie (BrOoKe DaViS23)**- BIF! I'm glad you liked the chapter. I'm glad you can see both Brooke and Lucas' side of the story! That is helpful haha. We need to talk soooon. Thanks for always reading and reviewing!

**Brucas1992**- Thank you so much for the review! I am glad you see both Brooke and Lucas' sides. I love hearing what you have to say about the chapters. I hope you liked this new one! Thanks again for always reviewing!

**DANI OTH**- Its good to see a review from you on here! I'm so glad you liked the chapters! I'm glad you can see the mixed emotions, the feelings and the indecision…that makes me happy ahah. Thanks for the great reviews! I hope you liked this new chapter as well!

**Princetongirl**- I'm glad you loved the last chapter. Thanks for the review! I hope you like this chapter as well!

**Pink5288**- I'm glad you liked the last chapter! They will be getting back together soon, don't worry! I hope you liked this new chapter! Thanks for the review!

**Brucas3Naley23**- They were close…But don't worry it will get better. I'm glad you can see where Lucas is coming from. Thanks for the review! I hope you like this new chapter!

**Brucas333**- I'm glad you liked the last chapter, I hope you like this one too! Thanks for reading and always reviewing!

**Plasticlittlespastic**- I'm glad you loved the last chapter! Thank you for your review! I hope you like the new chapter!

**Christina (brookedavis922)**- I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and that Lucas and Brooke at least started talking! I hope you like this new one. Thanks for reviewing!

**Tanya (tanya2byour21)**- haha, you can yell at Lucas…I totally understand! I'm glad you can sort of see both of their sides though! I'm glad that you were happy they started talking! Thank you so much for your kind reviews…I love hearing what you have to say! Thanks for sticking by this story! I hope you like this new chapter!

**Christabella**- I'm glad you liked the last chapter, hope you like this one as well! Thanks for the review!

**Iluvmedou**- Yay, you got to read two chapters! I'm glad you are slowly warming up to the new change in the story! We are getting closer to the first chapter now! I'm glad you like seeing the emotions that both Brooke and Lucas are feeling, it would be crazy if they just got over everything in an instant, and I'm glad you understand that! Thanks for your awesome reviews and for keeping up with this story! I hope you like this new chapter!

**Brucas2918**- I'm glad you have finally caught up on this story, and I am happy that you love it! That is great to hear! I hope you like the new chapter! Thank you for reviewing!

**Whiters**- Thank you for your review, it really made me happy. I'm glad you realize where both Brooke and Lucas are coming from. It makes me happy that you understand! Your review was exactly what I needed to read to finish up this new chapter, so thank you! I hope you like this new one. Thanks for reading and always leaving great reviews!


	50. You Be The Anchor That Keeps My Feet On

**A/N: Alright everyone, here is the new chapter! Sorry it took me so long to get it out, but its here now so that's all that matters. Thanks to everyone who reviews, this story is dedicated to you all! The song in this chapter is called 'My Life Would Suck Without You' and is by Kelly Clarkson. Don't forget to review at the end. Enjoy!**

_Maybe I was stupid for telling you goodbye _

_Maybe I was wrong for trying to pick a fight _

_I know that I've got issues _

_But you're pretty messed up too _

_Either way, I found out I'm nothing without you _

**Chapter Fifty- You Be The Anchor That Keeps My Feet On The Ground**

Lucas hurried through the busy streets of New York as soon as his show finished taping for the afternoon. His mood had changed drastically since the Monday a week ago when he and Brooke had called a truce. He felt an extreme weight being lifted off his shoulders, and was reminded of how good that felt every time Brooke smiled softly in his direction. He realized they still had problems lingering around them, but for now they both needed to put those issues aside, to take a breather.

He was on his way to Chae and Jake's apartment to pick up Averie for the afternoon. When he had talked to Brooke on the phone earlier she had seemed pretty stressed out, and from the sounds of it Averie was bouncing off the walls. He was glad that he was able to help Brooke out more, and loved spending extra time with Averie. Seeing her only on weekends just wasn't enough and Lucas felt like he had missed out on too much of the three year olds life. He was glad that now he was able to catch up on some of the lost time together.

When he knocked on the door to Chae and Jake's apartment he heard Brooke yell to come in. He followed her voice through the hallway and the kitchen, and ended up in the living room. Brooke popped up from behind the couch, strands of her hair falling from a loose ponytail and landing in her face. She was on the ground holding a sparkling sponge, and didn't look like she was in a very good mood.

Lucas couldn't help but smile at the frustrated look on her face.

"What's going on in here?" He asked coyly, crossing his arms in front of him.

Brooke rolled her eyes at him and blew a strand of hair out of her face. "First of all its not funny. And to answer your question, _your _daughter thought it would be a good idea to play with _glitter glue _on the couch." She stood up, dropping her hands to her side in an exaggerated manor. "And if you were wondering, no, glitter glue doesn't come off of suede very easily."

Lucas raised his eyebrows and tried to stifle a laugh. "Wow. Where is the little artist anyways?"

"She's in the bedroom, time-out big time" Brooke said with a raised eyebrow.

Lucas stepped towards Brooke and slid the sponge out of her hand. He stepped back and admired Averie's handiwork on the couch. "She really did a number on it, didn't she?" Lucas observed, staring at the sparkling cushions.

"Chae is going to kill me" Brooke groaned, flopping onto the couch, making sure to avoid the sticky mess.

Lucas kneeled down in front of the couch and started scrubbing. "We'll get it taken care of, she'll never even know" Lucas said, reassuring Brooke with a shiny-white smile.

"Lucas, her _couch _is covered in _glitter_" Brooke said, letting out a small laugh as she began to see the humor in the situation.

Lucas looked up from the spot he was scrubbing, "It's already starting to look better. Maybe you should go grab your blow-dryer, I think a wet couch is going to make her wonder."

Fifteen minutes later, Brooke and Lucas had gotten nearly all of the glitter glue off of the couch. Brooke wound the cord around her blow dryer and exhaled deeply.

Lucas rested a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry about it Brooke, she won't even notice."

"It's just been one of those days" Brooke shrugged, folding her arms around herself as soon as Lucas' hand dropped back to his side. "I've been so busy getting ready for the store opening and I can't get it out of my head. Plus, I only have a week and a half to finish Chae's wedding dress. And obviously I haven't been doing a very good job at keeping Averie occupied. It's just all piling up so fast and I feel like I can't breathe."

"Hey," Lucas soothed. Out of instinct he stepped towards Brooke and encircled her in his arms. She rested her head against his chest and he couldn't help but notice how small she felt in his arms. "It's going to be okay. You'll get the dress finished and I'm positive the store will open without a hitch. You don't give yourself enough credit Brooke Davis." He felt her let out a deep breath and then nod against his chest. She stepped back away from him and looked up at him with wide eyes. "You know what? I think we just need to get out tonight. We'll go down to that pizza parlor that has the arcade games and you can forget about everything. Tomorrow I can take Ave and you can work on the dress without her running around getting everything glittery and sticky."

"I don't know Luke, I really need to do some kind of work. This day has already been completely wasted."

"You can start work tomorrow" Lucas said casually. "Get your shoes on, I'm gonna go get Ave."

Lucas turned around, walking towards the bedroom that Brooke and Averie shared.

"Luke" Brooke called, waiting as he turned around, "Thanks."

Lucas smiled and walked towards the bedroom. He slowly opened the door and peeked inside the crowded room. Averie was lying on her stomach, scribbling in a Hello Kitty coloring book and singing quietly to herself.

"Hey Sassy" Lucas said softly, leaning against the doorframe.

"Daddy!" Averie squealed. She quickly stood from the ground, throwing the crayons that she held in her hands in all different directions. "I's was makin' you a picture!" She grinned, lifting her hands up to him.

Lucas picked her up, holding the tiny girl in front of him. "Making a picture for me in your coloring book or on Aunt Chae's couch?"

Averie frowned and looked down. "Just in a kitty book" She said quietly pointing at the colorful page on the carpet.

"Just making sure" Lucas laughed, tickling Averie's sides until she started smiling again. "If you want to make a picture then you need to use your coloring book or ask Mom to help you. No more coloring on Chae's couch."

Averie nodded, her dark brown pigtails bouncing up and down. "Mommy not likes it when we use gyitters on-a couch."

"That's because glitter isn't for couches silly," Lucas told her with a smile, setting her back on the ground. "You better tell Mommy your sorry. But first grab your jacket and shoes."

Averie did as she was told and ran towards the dark brown Ugg boots that were laying on the ground. She quickly pulled them on over her tights and then looked back up at her dad. "Where are we goin'?"

"It's a surprise" Lucas smiled, watching as Averie's bright blue eyes sparkled with excitement.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

As soon as they entered the pizza parlor Averie shed off her jacket, dropping it into her moms hands. As she stared at the rows of big-kid games lit up with the colors of the rainbow, her three year old mind started to buzz. Her eyes widened and she couldn't help but jump up and down.

"Come on Daddy!" She shrieked, pulling him by the hand. "Can we play? Let's go play!"

Lucas tried his hardest to hold Averie back, "Shouldn't we get some pizza first?"

Averie looked at him with arched eyebrows, "No!"

"You go play a few games, I'll order the pizza" Brooke said decisively before Averie got too impatient and ran off by herself into the crowded family friendly restaurant.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Averie stood on the seat of the cushioned red booth and bounced slightly. She had a handful of tickets in one hand and a skinny slice of cheesy pizza in the other. She looked over at Brooke and gave her a pizza sauce smile, "Mommy, can yous ride the car game with me too? We's can haves a race with daddy!"

Brooke leaned towards Averie, "Definitely. I always beat your daddy in this game."

Averie's eyes lit up, "If we win then we's get _more _tickets!"

"You do not always beat me in that game" Lucas huffed, "You only beat me twice and both times I let you win!"

"Ave, I think your dad is being a sore loser" Brooke said in a loud whisper to her grinning daughter, "He just needs to realize that we _always _win."

"Daddy, we's always win!" Averie mimicked, waving her tickets around as she giggled.

They spent the rest of their night eating, playing and laughing. Averie loved having Brooke and Lucas playing with her together, and she was constantly holding onto one of each of their hands with hers. Brooke forgot about her work for the night, and was happy that Lucas could help her do that. Lucas was more than happy to be dragged around the arcade with Averie, and couldn't get enough of Brooke's smile. He hadn't seen her let loose like this in a long time, and it made him feel relieved.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Chae walked over to the couch that Brooke was sitting on and handed her a mug filled with hot chocolate. She sat down next to Brooke and lifted her own mug to her lips, blowing on the steaming liquid before taking a careful drink. She lowered her cup and eyed Brooke as she sipped her hot chocolate. Averie was sleeping over at Lucas' house, Jake had gone to bed early, and Chae was happy to be able to just talk to Brooke like old times.

"So?" Chae started, raising an eyebrow at Brooke as she drank.

Brooke lowered her cup into her lap, her legs folded underneath her. "So, what?"

"You and Lucas seem to be getting along pretty well…" Chae started, widening her eyes in hopes that Brooke would deepen the conversation.

"Yeah" Brooke nodded, staring down into her cup. "Things are good."

"Things are good?" Chae asked in hopes of a little bit of clarification.

"Yes," Brooke said with a raised eyebrow. Her lips slowly curved into a smile, "I know you are fishing for information here, so you might as well come out and say it."

Chae sat up straighter with excitement, "So are you saying there is information to give?"

Brooke shrugged, trying to contain the smile that started to form on her face and the butterflies that invaded her stomach. "Well maybe. No. I don't know!" Brooke stared down into her lap, pulling the long sleeves of her sweatshirt. "It's just nice," she looked up at Chae and bit on her bottom lip. "He's Lucas, and its easy and its comfortable. I guess I never let myself realize how much I actually do miss him."

"You were going to realize that sooner or later" Chae said with a laugh. "Just sucks that it took you a year. Having you guys hashed through all of that yet?"

Brooke shrugged, "I don't know. Kind of I guess. Besides the freak outs and apologies not really. I guess we kind of just pushed it to the back burner for the time being."

"You know I am _all _for a Brucas reunion and all, but before you are all blissed out and playing _happy family_, maybe you should talk through all of your issues. He was really hurt Brooke, and you were in a dark place…I don't think you can just ignore that."

"I know, I know." Brooke said with a roll of her eyes. "I realize that, and we will get through it. But things are good right now, we are talking and having fun with Averie and I know that once we start reliving everything that's happened its not going to be so great."

Chae rested a hand on Brooke's knee and gave her a tight smile. "I'm sorry B. If it makes you feel better I saw the look in his eyes when he dropped you off tonight." Brooke raised an eyebrow at her friend before Chae continued, "Don't play dumb with me Brooke Davis, you know what look I'm talking about. He adores you, he's fascinated by you, and yes, it is obvious he still has some kind of feelings for you."

Brooke couldn't help but grin, "Do you really think so?"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Averie ran around the backyard in dark grey leg warmers, silver ballet flats, a dark purple skirt and a black sweater with a thick grey and purple stripe across each arm. Lucas couldn't help but laugh at the realization that she was in fact her mothers child. Her long brown hair bounced behind her and she fiddled with the pink-daisy headband that kept her long bangs out of her eyes.

"Daddy," Averie called, coming to a halt in front of him. She tapped her foot in front of her and scrunched up her nose. "My hula-hula-hoop is stuck in-a tee." She turned around and pointed to a tree branch that was only a few feet taller than she was. Hanging from the branch was in fact the shiny blue hula hoop.

"How did she manage that?" Ty asked, holding the basketball he had been dribbling against his chest.

Lucas just shrugged and laughed. He followed Averie over to the tree and handed her the hula hoop. "Next time you shouldn't share your toys with the tree Ave" he said with a laugh.

Averie stood still for a few seconds in thought before suddenly throwing the hula hoop to the ground. "Come on Daddy," Averie demanded, grabbing Lucas by the hand. "We's can haves a snack now." She pulled Lucas towards the house, stomping her feet in the leaves on the ground. "Come now Ty," Averie said, stopping in front of her dads friend. "You's can haves snack with me too."

Ty couldn't help but laugh, he thought Averie had to be the funniest kid he had ever come across. When Lucas warned him that she could be energetic and that she didn't have much of an attention span, Ty had no idea how true that actually was. He thought they would at least be able to shoot some hoops, but with Averie around, one activity was not an option.

Lucas gave Averie a cup of ranch dressing and baby-sized carrots and watched as Averie dipped the carrots and sucked off the ranch sauce repeatedly.

"Aren't you gonna take a bite of the carrot Sass?" Lucas asked.

"I am" Averie told him, dipping the carrot back into the dressing and licking it off once again.

"Can I try one?" Ty asked, taking a carrot off of the plate that Averie pushed towards him. "Thanks kiddo." He ruffled Averie's hair and took a bite of the carrot.

Averie turned to him and glared, fixing the flowered-headband that he had messed up. She then bobbed her head rhythmically as she continued eating ranch dressing off of her carrot.

"So, are things working out with the m-o-m yet?" Ty asked with a wink, looking from Averie to Lucas for emphasis.

"Dude, she's three" Lucas laughed looking from Averie to Ty, "She has no idea what you are talking about and I doubt she cares anyways. And things with Brooke, well. They're good I guess."

"Mommy?" Averie asked, looking up at Lucas at the sound of her moms name. "Mommy make-in a dress for Sae."

"That's right Princess" Lucas smiled.

"So you two are friends? Friends with benefits? What?" Ty asked with a shrug of his shoulders.

Lucas laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Things are good right now. I've been spending a lot of time with her, and things are slowly getting back to normal."

"And normal for you two is what? Torrid affairs and getting it on while living in different zip codes?"

Lucas ignored Ty, "We are talking again. She's actually smiling now, it's like Brooke is finally coming back to me, and somehow I feel like its only a matter of time before I slip up, or she does, and its over."

"You just can't think about it like that" Ty said with a shake of his head. "I know I'm not the best guy to be giving relationship advice considering, well, I've never had an actual serious relationship" he laughed, "But you aren't over this girl Luke, and you can't hold back. If it doesn't work out then it doesn't, what do you really have to lose right now? And it seems like you two have a pretty good thing going" he looked over at Averie who was sitting next to him, playing with the carrots as if they were Barbie dolls, Lucas turned his attention to her as well and they both laughed. "You guys did something right. Why give that up now?"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke paced back and forth on the hard wood floors in her new, empty New York store. She tapped her fingers together and stared at the dress in front of her. It was getting there, she had to give it that. It was long and thin, it looked like Chae. It was sleeveless and fitted. But it still needed more work. It was Chae, but it wasn't the chic look Brooke was going for. The dress she had been hand stitching for nearly a month now was finally taking form, but there was still something missing. Brooke stepped towards the dress and ran a finger along the top of the dress.

She couldn't help but let her mind wander, and think about herself in that dress. Six years ago she would have sworn that she would marry Kade, have a lot of money, and travel with him and whatever NBA team drafted him. But at that time she was barely out of High School and she was blinded by what she thought was real love. Even a year and a half ago she could see herself in that dress, making the ultimate commitment to Lucas and their growing family. But those days were gone now, and instead of wearing a shining ring on her left finger, she was trying to somehow trust Lucas again. She was finding her way back to trusting herself, to being happy outside of her work and her daughter. Just to being her again.

Brooke sighed and let her finger fall from the dress, hoping that someday she would find her happily ever after too.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke stepped into Chae and Jakes apartment and was immediately overwhelmed with the smell of barbeque. She dropped her bag by the door and walked into the kitchen where Jake was standing in front of the oven.

"What are you making?" She asked, trying not to laugh as Jake jumped from her sudden entrance.

"God Brooke, you scared me" He said as he breathed deeply. He closed the oven door and turned towards her, "I'm making a pineapple barbeque roast and baked potatoes, and I hope you are hungry because there is a lot."

"It sounds great, but I have to pick Ave up from Luke's house" Brooke said with a frown as her stomach started to growl.

Jake scrunched up his eyebrows and looked at her with narrowed eyes, "Lucas and Averie are already here."

As if on cue, Averie came running into the kitchen, ran right into Brooke's legs, and hugged them tightly. "Hi mommy."

"Hey baby, I missed you" Brooke smiled, lifting Averie into her arms and hugging her tightly. "Did you have a good day?"

Averie played with Brooke's hair and smiled, "I gots a car and it's a daddy's house. It haves a button and if I pus it then-a car goes fast and fast! Ty played with my car and hims smashed it in-a wall!"

"Oh really?" Brooke said with a raised eyebrow. "It sounds like you had a good day. Did you take a nap?"

Averie pursed her lips together and squinted her eyes, "No, I's not was tired. I just played with daddy and with a car and outside."

"Where is your daddy?" Brooke asked, wondering if he really did stick around after dropping Averie off. As much as she didn't want to, she secretly hoped he did.

"Hims in here" Averie said, squirming out of Brooke's arms then taking her hand and leading the way into the living room. She then dropped Brooke's hand and immediately ran towards the couch, climbing onto it and picking up her baby doll.

"Hey," Brooke smiled, waving at Lucas who was sitting on the couch watching a basketball game. "Thanks for bringing Ave home, you really didn't have to."

Lucas stood from the couch and smiled. "I know, but you've been working all day and I didn't want to make you drive clear across town. _Plus_, this way I get a free dinner and Jake and I can watch the game" he said with a crooked smile, pointing towards the TV.

"Well, well. The ulterior motives were bound to come out sooner or later" Brooke said with a laugh.

Lucas squinted his eyes and smiled weakly at her, "What if the ulterior motives were really to see you?"

"Looks like you two are getting friendly" Jake said as he entered the room, not able to dismiss the blush that settled across Brooke's cheeks. "Ava-Monster, do you want to come help me set the table?"

Averie scrambled off the couch, throwing her baby doll down behind her. She ran towards Jake, "Yeah!"

Brooke and Lucas watched Averie and Jake leave the living room and then Brooke turned back towards Lucas. She fidgeted with her skirt nervously, "Where's Chae?"

Lucas sat down on the couch, trying to get interested in the pre-game show again. "I think she's checking her e-mail or something?"

Brooke lifted her fingers together, "Right. I'm going to go find her."

Lucas ran a hand over his head and nodded, watching as Brooke left the room.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

After dinner Brooke and Lucas retired to her bedroom to put Averie to bed. All three of them piled into the bed that Brooke and Averie had been sharing for over a month now, Averie smashed in between Brooke and Lucas. Lucas read three books before Averie finally started to nod off to sleep. Her purple monkey was tucked under one arm and her pink blanket was secured in her other hand. She fought to keep her eyes open but couldn't help but let her head fall back onto the pillow and allow her eyes to flutter shut.

Brooke ran her fingers through Averie's soft, long brown hair and watched as she pulled the silky part of her blanket up to her chin. "She went out fast" Brooke said quietly, watching Averie's tiny chest rise and fall.

"I'm surprised she stayed awake this long" Lucas laughed, "She was like the energizer bunny today. I couldn't make her hold still for longer than ten minutes."

Brooke smiled, and tucked a strand of hair behind Averie's ears. "Today when I was in the store all I could think of was her and that I was missing out on her day. Sometimes its so hard to work when my mind is somewhere else. I just don't want to make her suffer because of my job."

Lucas watched Brooke and wished that she could see herself the way he saw her. "You are Super-Mom, and trust me, Averie is not suffering. If you give up on your clothes, then you are giving away a part of yourself, and I can't let you do that."

Brooke smiled softly, and finally started to feel like a piece of herself was coming back.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke and Lucas walked along the pavement outside of Chae and Jake's apartment building. It was getting pretty late, and they could see a sliver of the moon in the dark blue sky. It was starting to get cold outside, and there was a frozen breeze blowing through the chattering streets.

Brooke pulled her black pea coat tighter around her and looked down at her feet as they walked. "Thanks for all of your help today. I just want you to know its really nice to know that you are _here_." She looked up at Lucas and gave him a small smile as his blue eyes locked into hers.

"I've always been here. I was just waiting for you to come back." Lucas kept his focus on Brooke's eyes, and then watched as she parted her lips slightly. He dug deep inside him to find some kind of bravery and then reached for her hand. Her fingers were cold and he wrapped them inside of his warm hand.

Brooke was shocked when Lucas reached for her hand, but she felt a tingle run up her spine when his hand connected with hers. She had forgotten how their fingers had fit together so perfectly, and had forgotten the comfort Lucas' simple touch could bring. She bit on her bottom lip, and continued walking beside Lucas in silence, not wanting to ruin the moment, or make it bigger than it needed to be.

Lucas slowed down when they reached the parking garage that his car was in. "I guess I better get going." He said, his fingers squeezing hers out of instinct.

Brooke nodded, not wanting him to leave but knowing it was for the best. Her judgment was clouded at the moment, and she didn't know what to think or say.

"I will call you tomorrow though. If you need me to come get Ave after I finish taping the show I will, I don't really have much going on" Lucas said, his eyes staying locked on hers.

"Okay" Brooke said with a nod, letting go of Lucas' hand. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

_**You got a piece of me **_

_**And honestly **_

_**My life would suck without you **_

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you know who you are! Don't forget to review this one, tell me what you thought! I will try and update faster next time, thanks for being so patient with me! XOXOX Lindsay**


	51. She Can Hardly Breathe Without You

**A/N: Finally an update! It feels great! I am sorry that it has taken me so long. I have been extremely busy this semester, applying to my school program along with taking classes and working, life is crazy! Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing this story. I was so tempted just to give up writing it, but your reviews keep me going! So thank you so much! I am sorry again it has taken so long to get this chapter up. I was having a major lack of inspiration, and must tell Katie thank you for helping me out of it! I hope you guys like this chapter, this is honestly a rough draft so I hope it makes sense and there aren't too many mistakes…Don't forget to review!! Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

Chapter Fifty One- She Can Hardly Breathe Without You

_And if tonight ever makes a difference_

_The way that I feel, the way that I'll remember it_

_I'll take this down until the glass remains_

_Swallow the words that I was meant to say_

"So what time was their flight supposed to come in?" Lucas asked as he scanned the crowded airport.

Brooke pursed her lips together and glanced down at her phone, "Their plane should've gotten here fifteen minutes ago. Hopefully they'll be here soon."

Brooke stood on her tip-toes and tried her hardest to see past the security check-point. Much to her dismay, she didn't see the faces of her best friends. This just reminded her of why she hated airports so much. They were always so busy, and people had no mercy. They didn't ever watch to see where they were rolling their suitcases, and if anyone ran into you, it was clearly your fault. And besides that, the airport was swarming with paparazzi for the majority of the time, especially in New York City. She hated sensing that she was being watched, and just thinking about it made her bite on her lip and pull her sweater tighter around her.

"Stop fidgeting" Lucas laughed, nudging Brooke's arm. "And you think Averie is the restless one. You can't even stand still."

Brooke smirked at Lucas and pushed him back, "You know I hate airports."

"That being the real reason you made me tag along" Lucas said with a nod, shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking on his heels.

"Exactly" Brooke grinned triumphantly, not knowing the effect her smile had on the blonde brooder. She suddenly jumped up onto her tip-toes again, "I see them!" She squealed, moving in a flash through the sea of people and crashing right into Haley. "I am so glad you are here!" Brooke grinned, wrapping her friend in a tight hug.

"I've missed you Tigger" Haley smiled.

Brooke stepped back and turned to Nathan, giving him a big smile and then turning her attention to the double stroller he was pushing. "Hey Nate-o" She said unenthusiastically before bending down. "Max-a-million! Guess who has been talking about you all day?"

Max grinned up at Brooke, kicking his legs against the stroller he was starting to out grow. "Who? Who?"

"Averie. She is so happy that you are coming to play, she has missed you lots" Brooke told him, ruffling his spiky blonde hair. She then turned her attention to Tessa, who was grinning up at Brooke from the seat beside her brother. "Oh my god" Brooke gasped, looking up at Haley, "She is getting so big. I've only been gone for a month and my little Tess is like a real kid!"

"Hi Bee-Bee, hi" Tessa smiled, flopping her hand in a wave. "Hi."

"Hi beautiful baby girl" Brooke grinned, unstrapping Tessa from the stroller and lifting her into her arms. She hugged the one year old against her and couldn't help but mumble, "I miss this."

The car ride to the hotel that Nathan and Haley would be staying at was filled with chatter. Nathan and Lucas didn't waste time, and were already making predictions on which teams would perform the best in the beginning basketball season. Nathan filled Lucas in on who he thought would be his biggest competition, and Lucas promised to come to a few of Nathans games. Brooke and Haley sat in the back unable to control their high-pitched voices as they talked about everything that had to do with the upcoming wedding. Brooke and Haley hadn't seen each other for a month and they were quickly catching up on everything that was going on. Haley told Brooke about Max's new pre-school and how nice it was to have a break three days a week. Brooke filled Haley in on the new store and the children's clothing line that she was starting to design. The only subject that didn't get discussed was Lucas, even though Brooke really needed to clear her head on the subject.

Brooke held onto Tessa's hand as she jumped on the hotel bed with Max, Haley was working on unpacking their suitcases and Lucas went with Nathan to check out the hotel gym.

"So, you and Lucas are?" Haley asked, looking up at Brooke from her spot on the floor. She had been dying to hear details about what was going on, and was surprised that Lucas had accompanied Brooke in picking them up. Haley knew Brooke pretty well, and the exchanges that Brooke and Lucas shared weren't lost on her. She knew something was going on.

"We are friends, I am pretty sure we are friends." Brooke said with a nod.

"I know you are dying to tell me what's going on with you two, so you might as well just let it out" Haley said with a laugh.

"Mommy," Max called, sitting down on the bed mid jump and then sliding off. "Can I play with my car?" He asked, pointing to the green car sticking out of the suitcase, his prize for being good on the airplane.

"Yeah, here ya go buddy" Haley smiled, handing it over and watching Max run off. "Anyways, you…Lucas?"

"Well, we have been spending a lot of time together, and I like it…I like him, and when I'm not with him I am thinking about him…a lot, and I kinda feel like I'm starting to maybe, fall for him, again." Brooke took a deep breath, feeling like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulder for just getting the words off of her chest. "And it probably doesn't mean anything, but four days ago when I was walking him out to his car he kinda held my hand…"

Haley couldn't help but smile, and she hoped her smile wouldn't turn into a laugh. "Oh Brooke," Haley grinned, dropping the tiny pajama's she was holding. "You aren't falling for him honey, I think you've already fallen."

Brooke bit on her bottom lip, and suddenly she felt scared. "But I can't, I mean, not after everything that's happened. It's just not right, we've messed up too many times."

Haley stood up and walked over to Brooke, lifted Tessa in her arms after she called 'Mama' and then wrapped an arm around Brooke's shoulder. "I know you are scared and I know you have a hard time letting people all the way in, but Brooke, this is Lucas we are talking about. I have never seen you happier than you are when you're with him. And its obvious that he cares about you, he always has. Love is worth the risk Brooke." Haley ran a hand through Tessa's golden brown hair and watched as she laid her head down and sucked her thumb. "I mean, look at me and Nathan. He was a complete jerk when I first met him, and I probably can't even count how many times we had problems. And now, I couldn't be happier. It was a risk with him from the beginning, and somehow we made it to solid ground."

Brooke nodded, running a hand along Tessa's back. "He told me he's been waiting for me." She said quietly, looking up at Haley, "God, I don't know why this is so hard for me. It's Lucas, it's _always _been Lucas. So why is it so hard just to give in?"

"I don't know Brooke," Haley sighed, "But you two will figure it out, I know you will.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"For the record," Nathan said, lifting weights off a rack, "I am all about a Brooke and Lucas reunion. Just in case you were wondering."

Lucas laughed, "Thanks for the heads up man. And in case _you _were wondering, I don't think I'd be too disappointed either."

"So what's the hold up then? It's bound to happen sooner or later isn't it? What are you guys waiting for, you are together all the time anyways."

"Not _all _the time. We are friends now, and I don't want to rush things, if it happens it happens" Lucas shrugged, knowing that he needed to respect Brooke by taking things one step at a time. Even for himself he knew they needed to take things slow, make sure they did things right.

"Dude, you sound like a girl" Nathan laughed, resting the weights back down and continuing his walk around the gym. "You know, I bet the girls are upstairs talking about this right now too."

Lucas shook his head, "Nah, I doubt it."

"Trust me, I grew up with those two" Nathan said with wide eyes, "And if I know them as well as I think I do, then Haley couldn't wait to get any information out of Brooke, and Brooke was just as willing to give it. Its just how they work. But don't worry, I'll find out with Haley what's going on in Brooke's head and I'll let you know."

"Nathan the matchmaker, I never would have guessed that" Lucas said sarcastically.

"The way I see it," Nathan said, throwing his arms out to the side of him, "Is that if Brooke Davis is a sucker for one thing, then its for a wedding. And you my friend are lucky that there just so happens to _be _a wedding tomorrow night. it's the perfect time to win her over again."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas' house was filled with people, noise, and more people. Chae and Jake's rehearsal dinner had just ended, and somehow the party had moved to Lucas' house.

Lucas never really understood why it was called a 'rehearsal dinner'. Nothing had been rehearsed, it was just an excuse to get the whole wedding party together the night before the wedding and have dinner. Jake and Chae's parents had both flown in earlier and they had been talking all evening and seemed to get along great. Lucas couldn't imagine how many of Chae's bronzed California friends had flown in for the event, but if he didn't know any better his living room at been turned into a chatty sorority event. Most of the guys were hanging out in the kitchen around the bar with Nathan more than willing to play the part of bartender.

Lucas couldn't help but let his eyes wander into the living room in search of Brooke. He found her standing against a wall holding Averie who had gotten tired quickly. She was continually running her hand along the little girls back while Averie's head laid on Brooke's shoulder. She was standing with Chae's best friend from High School, and from the looks on their faces, they seemed to be getting along. He watched as Brooke's eyes lit up at something the other girl had said, and he counted down the seconds until her dimples popped out and her head tipped back in a laugh. Lucas couldn't help but smile, she seemed to have that effect on him.

As if she knew he was looking, she looked up, connecting her eyes with his and smiling her shiny white smile in his direction. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever, their eyes locked and their hearts beating fast.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas' house started clearing out a little after midnight. Because the next day was going to be Chae and Jake's wedding, everyone decided it would be best to get some sleep. Chae and Jake were excited to spend one last night together before they made their relationship uber official, and Brooke didn't even want to know what they had planned for that last night together. Haley and Nathan had been gone for awhile, once their kids had fallen asleep they were ready to head back to their hotel.

"I can't lie," Lucas said with a raised eyebrow as he dropped empty cans into a trash bag. "I like my house a lot better when its quiet."

Brooke laughed, looking up from the table she was clearing, "I know right? I'm kind of surprised everyone stayed for so long. Chae definitely knows how to throw a party."

"That she does. She is very good at throwing parties at _other _peoples houses" Lucas said with a smirk.

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy yourself Lucas Scott." Brooke grinned, "I did see you participating in a game of Beer Pong."

Lucas laughed and shook his head, "I have to keep my basketball skills fresh" he said with a shrug, using a balled up napkin and shooting it over his head toward the garbage can. He let out a happy sigh as the napkin went straight into the can. "Haven't lost it quite yet."

Brooke rolled her eyes and continued cleaning. She wasn't sure what to say to him. It was weird because she was starting to feel nervous around him. Brooke tugged at her hair and pushed it behind her ears. She didn't know why she was feeling so self conscious around him all the sudden. She felt like she was in Jr High again, crushing on a guy in high school. She couldn't help but look at Lucas out of the corner of her eyes, and she had to catch her breath as her heart started to beat faster. Haley was right, she had never stopped loving him. Her Broody.

"Hey Brooke" Lucas said, calling her away from her thoughts. She looked up and felt uneasy at how close he was suddenly standing.

"Hmm?" she mumbled a response, biting on her lower lip.

"I was just thinking," He started, not able to help his nervousness, "If you wanted to just stay the night here you can." He paused for a few seconds, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I mean, Ave is already out and its pretty late. That combined with the fact that Chae and Jake were pretty antsy to be alone…I'm not sure you want to walk in on anything they might be up to…"

Brooke laughed dryly at his last comment, feeling a little bit relieved that Lucas was just as nervous as she was, even though he tried to hide it. She could tell from the way he couldn't keep his eyes connected with hers, the way he kept fidgeting with his hands until he ultimately put them in his pockets, and at the incredibly fast speed he was speaking.

"Are you sure?" She said, pursing her lips together. "I don't want to put you out or anything…"

"Are you serious Brooke?" Lucas asked, tipping his head back with a wide smile. He reached a hand out and placed it on her shoulder, "You are in no way putting me out. I would rather have you here anyways, this has always been your home in New York." He watched as her eyes flickered away from his, and he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. He dropped his hand back to his side and shrugged his shoulders, "And anyways, if you _do _stay" he started, doing his best to make the situation lighter, "then I won't have to clean up this mess by myself."

Brooke laughed and rolled her eyes, "Now that would be a shame, wouldn't it?" She shrugged her shoulders and then walked out of the kitchen, "But, I get your bed. You can have the couch."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Lucas couldn't fall asleep. He would like to think that he had no idea why, that maybe he drank too much or maybe didn't drink enough, that he just wasn't tired. But he knew exactly why he couldn't sleep.

He tossed and turned on the couch, but it wasn't because his couch was uncomfortable, it was. In fact, if he had to choose one piece of furniture to live on, it would be this couch.

It was past two in the morning, and there was no reason he shouldn't be asleep by now. He had peeked inside Averie's room at least three times, and every time she was in the same spot, fast asleep and wrapped in the pink and purple butterfly and flower blanket. Each time he checked on his daughter, he stood still in the hallway and stared at the closed white door at the end of the hall. Every time he looked at the closed door he was reminded of why he couldn't sleep.

Brooke.

The irony of their situation made him laugh. He knew they belonged together. And he was pretty sure that she knew that too, it was just taking her longer to figure it out. The way Lucas saw it, they were meant for each other. He couldn't think of a reason that they didn't belong together, all of the setbacks in their relationship were just building blocks, lessons to be learned. When he thought of it, he was led straight to her. He wasn't even planning on going to the stuffy party where they met. Neither of them had planned to be unfaithful to their respective partners in the beginning. But somehow it happened, and he knew it was beyond their control. And besides all of that, with Brooke and Averie in his apartment, it felt like home.

Every time he looked into Brooke's hazel eyes, saw her smile, or heard her laugh, he knew that she was the only girl for him. Every time he held his daughter, listened to her giggle, or watched her 'read' one of her books, he knew that their love was meant to be because they had created something perfect together.

His love for Brooke grew everyday, even though right now they were physically apart. He was okay with that now, because he knew it was only a matter of time before her heart opened back up to his. He just didn't know that it already was starting to.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Lucas…..Luke….wake up…."

He slowly blinked his eyes and felt the onset of a massive headache. Once his vision focused he saw Brooke, kneeling beside him with her face above his. As soon as she realized he was awake she smiled and stood up.

"Finally" She sighed, "I've been trying to get you up for like five minutes. What kind of sleeping pill did you take last night?" She said sarcastically, tipping her head to the side and grinning. He never understood how she could be so bubbly in the morning.

Lucas thought about what she said for a few seconds, not able to register her words right off. And come to think of it, he did remember taking something to help him sleep. But that was besides the point, what really mattered was, "What time is it?" He asked, his voice coated in sleep.

Brooke bit on her bottom lip as she smiled, "It's nearly seven."

"Like, seven in the morning?" He asked, sitting up on the couch and letting his blankets fall into his lap.

"Mmhmm" Brooke nodded as she turned and started to walk away from him.

"Why are you up so _early_?" He groaned, rubbing his head before falling back into his previous laying position.

He had closed his eyes again, not ready to welcome the sunshine that was bursting through the windows. But he once again was awoken by a raspy, high pitched, fast talking voice.

"Lucas! Do not go back to sleep!" Brooke shrieked as she reentered the room. "Today is a busy day…no I take that back, it's a _huge _day! And you are not allowed to go back to sleep. And don't look at me like _that _either, I am not crazy." She stepped towards him and pulled the blanket off of his lap watching as he sat up again. "Here," She said, thrusting her hand towards him and offering him a mug that he hadn't noticed. "Coffee. Sugar and extra cream."

Lucas graciously welcomed the coffee and took a long drink from the steaming cup. "So why are we up so early?" He asked, feeling a little bit better as soon as he felt the caffeine rushing through his veins.

"Because," Brooke grinned, opening her other hand and revealing four Tylenols which he graciously accepted. "Chae is getting married today, and I am the maid of honor. And since this is _her _day, _I _need to run it so she doesn't screw it up. She can be so scatterbrained sometimes" Brooke said with a wave of her hand, unaware that Lucas could barely keep up with her fast-paced rambling. "But that's besides the point. So I really need to get going, and I know you are wondering why I woke you up…I was wondering if you would watch Ave for me this morning while I help Chae get ready. Haley said she would come pick her up in a few hours and then you could just meet us down at the church. Would that be okay?"

Lucas couldn't help but smile. Even though she woke him up extremely early and he could hardly understand her he thought she was absolutely gorgeous. He loved the way she moved her hands around as she spoke, and he found her rambling adorable. And he knew, that at this moment he would do anything she asked him to do.

"Of course I'll watch her," Lucas smiled, "You shouldn't even have to ask." He stood from the couch and left his blanket in a bundle on the floor. He took a long drink from his mug and then noticed for the first time what Brooke was wearing. He eyed her up and down and couldn't stop a laugh from escaping his throat. "Nothing ever changes" He smirked, tipping his cup towards her clothing.

Brooke scrunched up her face and pulled on the long sleeves of Lucas' grey hoodie. "I needed to shower, and I didn't have any clean clothes to put on" she said with a frown, stepping on the long pair of men's sweatpants that she was wearing.

"It's fine" Lucas said with a smile, "You look cute. Especially with your hair all done" He said motioning towards her shiny curls. "You always looked good in my clothes."

Brooke rolled her eyes, self consciously running a finger over her clean and curled hair. "Well, then don't be expecting me to give them back. I have claimed this sweater before, don't think I won't take it again."

"It's fine by me" He smiled, his eyes staring straight into hers.

Brooke couldn't help but be caught in his gaze, his blue eyes seemed to knock her off balance. She took a deep breath, "Well, I guess I better get going. People to meet, sexy dresses to wear" She said with a wave of her hand.

Lucas followed her to the front door, watching as she picked up various items on her way.

"Call me if you need anything. And I'll see you at the church around one?"

"I will be there" He smiled, opening the front door for her and watching her slip out.

"Kay" she smiled, walking past him and turning her head one last time. "I'll see you soon."

Lucas nodded, "See you soon, Pretty Girl."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Mommy" Averie asked, looking through the vanity mirror up to her mom. "Can I have curls in my hair like you? Or can I haves my hair up like Sae's?"

"You are going to have curls like mine" Brooke smiled, separating pieces of Averie's long brown hair as she curled it. She watched as Averie arranged the make-up on the counter in front of her, the little girl amazed by the fancy labels and sparkly colors.

"Mommy" Averie asked again, this time her gaze focused on the make-up instead of the mirror.

"Yeah, baby?"

"Is Sae and Jay in love together?" she asked, her blue eyes as round as saucers as she looked up into the mirror and stared at her moms reflection.

"Yeah, they are" Brooke smiled, releasing Averie's hair from the curling iron and watching the tight curl fall against the little girls back. "That's why they are getting married today honey."

Averie nodded and scrunched up her eyes. "Is Haley and Unca Nate in love together?"

"Yeah they are in love too, they got married a long time ago. And then they had your cousin Max and your cousin Tessa." Brooke responded, wondering when her daughter had become so observant.

Averie nodded again, "Is you and daddy in love together too? Hims my daddy, and yous my mommy."

Suddenly Brooke didn't find her daughters questions so cute anymore. "Well," Brooke said, trying to find a way around the answer. "I will always love your daddy, you know why?"

"Why?" Averie asked, her voice high pitched and her eyes big with wonder.

Brooke leaned down, pressing her cheek against her daughters, "Because if I didn't have your daddy then I wouldn't have you."

"And then you would miss me!" Averie said with a grin, reaching a hand up and placing it on her mom's cheek.

"That is definitely for sure" Brooke laughed, kissing Averie's cheek and then standing up to finish curling her daughters hair. It was true, she couldn't imagine her life without the little girl. "Okay Ave, hand me that headband over there." Averie did as she was told and Brooke put the headband in her daughters hair, adjusting it so the big pink flower was in front of the long curls.

"Mines looks like mommy's hair!" Averie grinned, turning around in the chair and lifting her arms up to Brooke.

"Yep, it does" Brooke smiled, lifting Averie into her arms. "Except you get to have the pretty flower. Now how about we go back into the princess room and see if Chae is almost ready to get her big pretty dress on."

"I cans get my big pretty dress on too?" Averie asked, eager to wear the dress Brooke had made her.

"Mmhmm" Brooke nodded, walking out of the small dressing room and towards the room Chae was getting ready in. "We have to get your dress and my dress."

"Daddy is here too?" Averie asked, wiggling in Brooke's arms until she was put down.

"Yeah, he is helping Jake and Nate and Max get ready for the wedding" Brooke explained as she lightly tapped on Chae's dressing room.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

The ceremony had gone off without a hitch. Averie did her part as flower girl, and relished in all of the attention she got as she walked down the isle. Chae looked stunning in the strapless gown she had helped Brooke design, and Jake had never seemed happier. All of the guests shuffled out of the church and watched as Chae and Jake climbed into a vintage car that screamed _Jake_. After the wedding everyone gathered together for the reception, a night of food, wine, and dancing.

Brooke sat at one of the tables and watched as Averie and Max ran around the dance floor. Every once in a while they would stop, shake their behinds, giggle and then start running again. She was glad they got this chance to play, because ever since Brooke and Averie moved to New York, she knew her daughter had missed her best friend Max. Brooke's eyes wandered to Chae, who was grinning from ear to ear. Chae and Jake were completely wrapped up in each other, and their love for each other showed. Brooke couldn't help but smile as Jake spun Chae around the dance floor, their hands never leaving each other, and not caring that they had an audience as they kissed. Brooke was happy for her friends, that's how love should be. Looking at Chae and Jake, and Nathan and Haley was proof that you could be happy in love. And now more than ever, Brooke wanted that. Even though the timing was horrible.

As if on cue, Lucas stepped in front of her and held out a hand. "Would you grace me with a dance Miss Davis?"

Brooke laughed, breaking Lucas' serious face and placed her hand into his. "I would love to Mr. Scott." She stood as he pulled her from the chair, and followed his lead onto the dance floor. "And I must say, you have impeccable timing, considering the song that is playing."

Lucas paused for a moment, focusing his attention on the D.J. and laughed as soon as he realized, "Is this '_My Humps'_?" Lucas asked, and watched as Brooke nodded towards Chae who was bumping and grinding against a laughing Jake.

"As if you didn't plan this" Brooke winked, wrapping her arms loosely around Luke's neck. He in turn placed his hands on her hips, and for some reason, it felt natural to both of them to dance slowly, even with the song that was playing. "You look good in your tux" Brooke smiled, biting on her lip.

"Thank you" Lucas blushed, he always felt awkward in tuxes and bow ties. He gulped as he looked down, examining the small, tight fitted dress that Brooke was wearing. "And you look absolutely stunning."

"Thanks" Brooke said, giving him a small smile.

He pulled her closer as the song changed to a slower one, and he felt the energy as their bodies touched. He wrapped his arms around her, and felt her fingers brushing against the hair on the back of his neck. They hadn't been this close to one another for a long time, and yet it felt completely natural.

Brooke rested her head on his chest, breathing in the scent of his cologne. Somehow she felt completely at ease. She hadn't felt this comfortable for months and she liked it. A million thoughts were racing through her head. She had no idea what she felt, and what she should feel. Her mind raced through the past couple of weeks, for the friendship that her and Lucas began to rebuild, for the feelings that had started to resurface. She closed her eyes as they stepped in sync together, and she bit on her lip as she felt one of Lucas' hands travel along her back and to her neck.

Lucas dipped his head down, and breathed all of her in. He closed his arms tighter around Brooke and whispered a soft "I'm sorry."

She pulled back slightly so that she could look into his eyes. "Why? For what?" She asked, suddenly feeling an onset of nerves.

"For everything," He sighed, "For not being there for you when you were hurting, for not taking care of you after the baby… I hate how everything happened, and if I could go back I would have stayed in Tree Hill."

Brooke took a deep breath, "I know Luke. I know you would have, but we both know you couldn't. It's okay" She said, lifting a hand to his cheek. "I should have trusted you, and I shouldn't have fallen so hard that I couldn't get back up. But I don't want to do this Luke, not now. I…"

"I still love you Brooke" Lucas said, his voice sincere as he stared into her hazel eyes, her hand sliding down his face and stopping on his shoulders. "I know you are scared, and that you probably don't want to hear that but-"

Brooke cut him off, shaking her head from side to side and running a finger across his lower lip. "It's okay" She breathed, wrapping her hand back around his neck and inching her face closer to his.

_-I've only got forever and forever is fine-_

They both knew what was coming, and they had both been dreaming about this moment, wondering when and if it would ever happen. Lucas took the initiative and closed the distance between them, his lips delicately landing on hers.

She closed her eyes, relishing in the feel of his lips. The kiss was slow and sweet. They took their time, making sure to live in this moment. He slowly parted her lips with his tongue, and ran his fingers along her neck and into her hair. She held a handful of his jacket in her fist and melted into him, relaxing completely in his arms. They took their time, tasting and exploring each others mouths again after what had seemed like a lifetime but felt like only yesterday. They unlocked lips for a second to catch their breath and then Lucas kissed her lips once more, soft and slow not wanting to release her.

When they finally parted, he opened his eyes and watched Brooke's lips curve into a small smile. He watched as her eyes fluttered open and he smiled at her and ran his fingers softly along her cheek. The moment was too perfect to ruin with words, and neither of them knew what to say anyways. So Lucas just wrapped his arms around her again, and she rested her head back on his chest. And they stayed like that for what seemed like a lifetime. It didn't matter that the song had changed to an upbeat one, or that Averie and Max had picked apart a whole centerpiece of flowers. All that mattered was this moment, and that they lived in it because they didn't know what would happen when they snapped back to reality.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"Brooke!" Chae called, running towards her in bare feet. Brooke looked up from the table she was sitting at with Averie just as Chae fell into a chair next to her causing the little girl to giggle. "Hey, me and Jake are heading to the hotel, and I just wanted to say, thanks for all of your help today."

"No problem" Brooke winked, "You know I love weddings."

"Sae, you is silly!" Averie grinned, stabbing her fork into the piece of cake she was attempting to eat. "You is not having shoes on with yous dress!"

"I know, huh" Chae laughed, leaning down so she was eye level to Averie. "My feet were just hurting too much, bumblebee."

"That's a-cause you was dancing for long time!" Averie said, scrunching up her nose.

"Alright Sassy, stop giving Chae the third degree and eat your cake!" Brooke laughed.

"I better get going" Chae said, not able to hide the smile she was wearing. "And when I get home from the honeymoon, you have a lot of talking to do" She said, giving Brooke a sideways glance, "Don't think me and the rest of the world didn't see the steamy Brucas kiss… God, I thought you were both going to go brain dead from lack of oxygen!"

Brooke rolled her eyes, trying to remain cool, calm and collected, even though just the thought of her kiss with Lucas was making her hands clammy and her stomach bubble. "Whatever…You better get going, Jake is looking mighty impatient over there." Brooke told her, changing the subject and nodding her head towards the door Jake was waiting at.

"I'm not going to forget you know, when I get back I want details" Chae said, raising her eyebrows and standing up. She bent down and gave Averie Eskimo kisses, "Bye you two! Love ya!"

"Love yous Sae!" Averie grinned.

"You two be safe" Brooke called, "Love you guys" she smiled as she watched Chae run off, straight into Jake's arms.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke was in search for Averie's shoes when she felt a hand graze her back.

"Hey, I've been looking for you" Lucas smiled, leaning against the outside wall. "What are you doing out here anyways?"

"Ave lost her shoes" Brooke said with a raised eyebrow. "It's always something. I really hope her and Max are staying away from that cake. Those two have already caused enough trouble for one night."

Lucas laughed, "Don't worry, Haley has them under control. Pretty much everyone has left already, and I think the kids are tired."

"Good, hopefully she'll fall asleep on the way home." Brooke said, standing up and looking at Lucas.

He stepped towards her and smiled softly. He reached his hand out for hers, and slowly linked their fingers together. "Are you staying at Jake's tonight?" Lucas asked.

Brooke nodded slowly, "Yeah, I am planning on staying there all week while they are gone."

"And when they get back?" He asked, smiling seductively and pulling her towards him until their bodies were slightly touching.

"I am going back to Tree Hill in two weeks" She told him. She watched as the smile faded off of his face, and she felt horrible. It always seemed to be bad timing with them lately. "I was meaning to tell you. We have the New York store under control for the most part. One of my employees from Tree Hill is going to move up here to manage the new store, and since Trish is here, she'll be able to check on it. Since I don't have an apartment here, I might as well go back to the house in Tree Hill. Averie's life will be back to normal…she can have a yard to play in again and we won't have to share a bedroom anymore."

Lucas nodded, understanding what she was saying but feeling selfish and wanting her to stay. They stood in silence for a few minutes, neither of them knowing what to say. The quiet was driving Brooke crazy and she felt like things had been screwed up again even though they both knew she was only in New York for a short amount of time.

"I feel like everything just got confusing again" She sighed tipping her head back and taking a deep breath.

"It's fine Brooke," Lucas said, keeping his voice calm and reassuring even though her news was killing him. "We both knew this was going to happen even though I didn't expect it to be so soon."

"I didn't either," Brooke said quietly. "I am going to have to be up here at least two days a week though, and you can come visit on weekends, right?"

"Yeah," Lucas smiled, trying to make it convincing. "We'll work things out. I still want to come visit Averie. And we, we are…"

"Friends?" Brooke asked awkwardly, knowing that she desperately wanted something more.

"Yeah, friends" Lucas said trying to hide the sadness in his voice and unintentionally letting go of her hand. "Everything will work out. Now lets go find those shoes."

Brooke followed Lucas back inside, wishing that he would ask her to stay.

_Girl last night, I forgot to mention_

_The way that I feel, the way that I'll remember this_

_When we're this young we've got nothing to lose_

_Just the clock to beat, and a hand to choose_

* * *

**A/N: What did you think? Don't forget to tell me in a review! Your reviews are the reason I keep going! You guys are the inspiration for this story. We are getting closer to the end, so stick with me! Seriously, thank you to every single one of you who review, you know who you are! I was also excited to see some new people who have found this story and have reviewed. You guys are awesome! If it wasn't so late I would let you know who each and every one of you are. Just know that I appreciate it! I will try not to wait so long to update! Once I am out of school and moved back home it should be better! Thanks again for sticking with me and with this story! XOXO Lindsay**


	52. I Want You To Need Me

**A/N: Okay everyone, here is the new chapter! And guess what? We are finally to the point from chapter one, the park scene. I did a small time jump in this chapter, probably around four months, but there are two flashbacks from between now and the wedding (from the last chapter). I want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed, this chapter is for you! I wrote it fairly quickly yesterday, and didn't really edit it much, so I hope it is okay! I hope you all like it! And just so you know there will probably only be one more chapter of this story to wrap it up.. Anyways, go ahead, read, review and enjoy!**

**Chapter Fifty Two- I Want You To Need Me**

_And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there_

Brooke sat behind the counter of her store and couldn't help but smile. The sun was shining brightly through the panes of glass making her summer designs shine. Her store was filled with bright colors, fun sandals, and an endless supply of summer dresses. There was just something about this time of the year that made her instantly happy no matter what was going on in her life.

"Brooke, I can take over now" A voice said from behind, snapping Brooke from her warm thoughts.

"Huh?" Brooke mumbled, shaking her head and looking to the side to see Millie.

"I'm here, you can leave" Millie said plainly with an easy laugh.

"Right, what time is it?" Brooke asked, answering her own question by glancing up at the silver clock hanging on the purple wall. "I guess I should go pick up Ave from her play group, relieve that poor mom from my sassy four year old."

Millie laughed, placing her hand on Brooke's shoulder. "You know that kid is a miniature version of you right?"

Brooke raised her eyebrows at her friend in shock. "I don't think I have _ever _had as much attitude as she does."

Millie rolled her eyes and gently pushed Brooke on the back, "Go…and enjoy your weekend."

"Thanks Mill," Brooke said, flashing her friend a quick smile and leaving the store.

Brooke was happy to be back in Tree Hill, and things were going well for them there. Brooke loved living in the small town atmosphere, with the beach just a five minute drive from her gorgeous house. Her Tree Hill store was running smoothly, and Brooke felt more at home in the first store she opened. Averie was also happy being back in Tree Hill. She had turned four a couple of months ago so Brooke and Lucas decided it was time to enroll her into a pre-school. Averie went to her school three days a week and was loving it. Brooke also switched off with a couple of the other mom's and would hold a play group for four of the little girls once a month. They were both happy in Tree Hill, it was and would always be home.

As soon as Brooke pulled into the Jepson's driveway, Averie opened the front door and ran out, still wearing her dance leotard, a tutu, and the fairy wings that she was refusing to take off lately. She was smiling widely and ran straight to the drivers side door. When she reached her destination she pressed the paper she was holding against Brooke's window. Brooke smiled at the picture, hoping the paint that Averie had used to make it was dry.

Averie lowered the picture, gave her mom a big smile and opened the door.

"Hi mommy! I saw you from the window, and I wanted to run and run and run out here to show you this!" Averie squealed, talking a million miles a minute with her high pitched voice as she waved the painting around in the air. "I maked it for you….No, I maked it for Daddy instead!"

Brooke rolled her eyes and squished Averie's cheeks, "Well, I am sure he will love it" she laughed, leaning down and kissing her daughters forehead. Averie climbed into Brookes lap, "Did you and Addison have fun today?"

Averie nodded, "Addie gots new paint and her Mommy let us makes our pictures, and guess what Mommy? We got to use our fingers" Averie grinned, waving her paint-stained fingers directly in Brooke's face.

"Don't worry, its washable" Mrs. Jepson said with a small laugh, stepping next to Brooke's open car door, holding Addison in her arms. "Thanks for coming to play today Averie."

"I will come back soon, don't be sad" Averie said with a sincere nod.

"What she meant to say was thank you" Brooke said, tickling Averie's sides.

"Addie wanted to come out here and say bye, but we will see you in pre-school tomorrow" Mrs. Jepson said, setting Addison down on the pavement.

"Here Avie, I want to give this one to you" Addison grinned, holding out a painting to Averie.

Averie took the painting from Addison, gave her a small smile and then examined the picture. She then looked back at Addison, and then to Brooke. She held the paper back out to Addison, "You can keep it" She said with wide eyes and a serious tone.

"Averie!" Brooke said under her breath, watching as Addison's light blue eyes started to fill up with tears.

"But Mommy" Averie whined, "Its all…_scratchy_."

Brooke took the painting from Averie, "Its very pretty Addison, thank you. Averie, get in your seat, buckle up." Brooke said, trying to hide her embarrassment while pushing Averie off of her lap and letting her crawl into the back seat. "Thanks again for letting her come over" Brooke said, smiling at Mrs. Jepson who held her crying daughter and was in obvious shock over what Averie said. "We will see you guys tomorrow."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

"So…" Haley started, staring at Brooke from across the table, "How is Lucas doing?"

Brooke shrugged her shoulders, "Fine I guess. He's still in New York so I don't know."

"I thought he was supposed to be coming here, that's what Nathan said…"

"Yeah, I thought so too" Brooke sighed, pushing her food around on her plate. "But I guess he got held up, he said he wouldn't be here until Sunday morning so we'll see."

"Well, that will still give you all at least a day together before Monday comes around and you are back to work and Ave is back in school" Haley said with a small smile, always trying to look on the bright side.

Brooke nodded, "Thanks again for dinner Hale's" She said, effectively changing the subject. "Your cooking is one of the many things I love about living in Tree Hill."

"I second that!" Nathan called from the living room, making Brooke and Haley laugh.

Haley gathered up the dishes from the table, "I wish the kids felt the same way" She laughed, noticing all the food they left on their plates. "But thank you, I am glad my services are appreciated."

"Oh and they are" Nathan said, wiggling his eyebrows as he entered the kitchen. He rested his hand on Haley's hip and kissed the side of her cheek. "Since you made dinner, how about I am in charge of desert?"

"Uhm Nathan, maybe you should wait until you are alone before you start talking about _desert_. I am not a fan of hearing about your boring married sex" Brooke said, scrunching up her face and wiggling her finger around between her two friends.

"Brooke!" Haley squealed, her cheeks starting to turn pink.

"Well its true" Brooke shrugged.

"Oh Davis, your just jealous" Nathan winked, "Where is Lucas anyways? I thought he was going to come into town and make you less grumpy? And just so you know, I was actually talking about desert" He said, opening the freezer and pulling out a carton of ice cream. He held it up in the air like a super-hero before setting it down, "Who wants ice cream?" He called, and waited until he heard three sets of tiny footsteps running across the carpet.

"We do!" Averie and Max said together, jumping up and down and waving their arms excitedly as soon as they entered the kitchen.

"Me ice ceam!" Tessa squealed, stumbling into the kitchen moments after Averie and Max.

"Are you sure those little monsters need any sugar? They seem to have too much energy as it is" Haley smiled, watching as Max and Averie jumped and pulled on Nathan's free arm.

"Don't worry Tutor-Mom, they always crash fast after a sugar high, huh princess" Brooke said, lifting Tessa into her arms and setting her on the counter.

**Flashback**

"**I guess ice cream wasn't such a bad idea after all" Brooke laughed, watching as Averie's eyes slowly closed and her head drooped onto her dad's shoulder.**

"**Not at all" Lucas laughed. "It always surprises me how fast she can go from bouncing off the walls to sleeping."**

**Brooke nodded, watching Lucas run his hand along Averie's back. She pulled her coat on and wrapped it tight around her, suddenly getting cold inside the colorful ice cream parlor. It had been a week since Jake and Chae's wedding, a week since the kiss she had shared with Lucas, and three days since she reluctantly moved back into his house with Averie. To say things were awkward would be an understatement, but for Averie's sake, the two adults were trying to act as normal as they possibly could.**

"**Are you ready to go?" Lucas asked.**

**Brooke nodded and stood up, grabbing Averie's red coat and draping it over her daughters back. "I have to be at the store early tomorrow morning," She rambled, "But you can drop her off to me on your way to the studio if you want."**

"**I can take her with me if you need me too" Lucas said, pushing the door opened with his back, the frigid December air catching him by surprise and making him shiver.**

**They walked quickly down the street, Lucas guiding Brooke with his gloved hand while he held Averie in the other arm. They got into the car quickly, Averie clinging to Lucas as he tried to put her in her car seat. She relaxed and let go, leaning her head on the side of her seat and falling back into sleep.**

**As Lucas navigated the New York streets driving her car, Brooke couldn't think of anything except her decision to just be his friend. When he was sitting so close to her, singing along softly with the radio she couldn't help but want to touch him. But it wasn't as bad now as it was at night when they would sit up after Averie went to bed, she had overwhelming urges of wanting to kiss him, drag him into his room and rip his clothes off. She had no idea if he was feeling the same, but she had a feeling that he was. She noticed the way he would stare at her, subtly touch her hand, and hold his breath every time she entered the room. She knew the friends thing was her decision, that she could change it. But she was moving back to Tree Hill, and Lucas was still in New York, and last time they were apart their relationship failed, and she didn't want to take that chance again. She knew that if they were meant to be together that they would find their way in the end, it just wasn't their time right now, as unfair as that was.**

**End Flashback**

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke was on the computer looking at the new spreadsheet that Millie had just sent to her showing the new summer inventory. This was the biggest line that Brooke had so far in her career, and everyone was crossing their fingers that it would sell. It seemed to be doing well in New York, especially since her line was up against very popular and in-demand designers. The next couple of weeks would be big in selling and promoting, and Brooke felt a rush of butterflies in her stomach at the thought of the new line. Trish told her not to worry, both of her stores were doing fine, and the closer it got to summer the more desperate people would get for her clothes. Brooke hoped that was the case. She was also working on the finishing touches to her new children's clothing line, and was about ready to send her sketches off to the distributor who now made her clothes. How she balanced work and family was still unknown to her.

"Mommy" Averie whined, for the millionth time, bouncing up and down in annoyance.

"What baby?" Brooke asked, turning away from her computer and looking at her daughter who was trying to act as pitiful as possible.

"When is daddy coming? Can we go to the park now? I'm so so huuungry," Averie pouted, pulling on Brooke's arm as she spoke, attempting to pull her mom away from the computer screen.

Brooke stood up reluctantly, knowing she had to meet the demands of her very rambunctious child. Averie had been bouncing off the walls all morning and Brooke was having a hard time keeping her occupied. She needed to get a little bit of work done, but it looked like that would have to wait until after bedtime.

"Alright Sassy pants" Brooke sighed, standing from the chair and watching Averie's pouting face turn into a grin. "Lets go get you a snack and then we can go to the park."

"But what about daddy? Is he coming to the park?" Averie asked, looking up at Brooke with her big, round, sad blue eyes.

Brooke sighed, and lifted Averie into her arms. "His plane should be here soon, maybe he will meet us there."

Averie nodded and then grabbed Brooke's cheeks with both hands. "I really really really want a popsicle, you know, cause it is very warm and melty outside."

Brooke rolled her eyes and set Averie down onto a barstool. "Oh really? But I thought you were so _huuuuungry_?" Brooke asked, mimicking her daughter.

"Well, I meaned that I was just a little bit" Averie said, using her thumb and fore-finger to measure how hungry she was. "Just a little bit hungry for a blue popsicle."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke and Averie walked through the park, Averie pushing her plastic doll stroller and singing the new song she learned in pre-school. Brooke pulled her phone out of her purse and checked the screen again. Lucas hadn't called her, or texted her, or made any sort of contact with her. When she talked to him the night before he told her that his plane would be getting in at 10 a.m. But it was already nearly 2 p.m. and Brooke still hadn't heard from him. She chose to push this into the back of her mind for now, and decided that she shouldn't worry. Instead she texted him, saying that her and Averie had went to the park without him and that they would see him later.

As soon as they reached the park bench, Averie abandoned her doll stroller and ran towards the playground, nearly tripping on the long, pink princess dress that she had been wearing all weekend. Brooke watched as her daughter climbed and crawled and slid. She bit on her lip as Averie eyed the monkey bars, and hoped that the four year old didn't have the guts to attempt them. She let out a relieved sigh when Averie stopped staring and ran in the opposite direction towards the swings.

"Mom!" Averie called, waving Brooke over with her hand. "Come watch me!"

Brooke walked towards her daughter with a smile, and stood beside the swing set. "What new trick do you have for us today?"

Averie grinned at her mothers delight and rested her tummy on the swing. She then used her feet to run forward, and lifted them up as she swung backwards. "Whhheeeee!" she called, grinning and laughing as her feet flung wood chips everywhere.

"That is a really good trick" Brooke laughed, loving the way her four year olds mind worked.

Averie stopped suddenly and nodded, "That makes my tummy feel all wobbly. Now you can watch me go on the tall tall spinning slide!" Averie cheered, standing from the swing and running back towards the playground.

Averie loved being at the park, and Brooke knew she would stay there forever if that was an option. So she let her daughter play, and get out some of her pent-up energy. Even though there were a few close calls of Averie climbing up the outside of the playground and falling off, Brooke knew it was good to let her be a kid, even though she was on the verge of broken bones. Nevertheless, she loved being able to spend their Sundays at the park, hearing Averie laugh and watching her try new things. But she still couldn't imagine where Lucas could be.

After watching Averie run around for a half hour, she left her to practice swinging on the swings by herself. She checked her phone again, and there was still nothing from Lucas. She went to gather up their things, letting Averie play for a few more minutes. Brooke looked up, and was surprised when she saw Lucas standing beside her.

"Hey" he said softly, smiling at Brooke not only with his mouth but with his blue eyes.

"I didn't think you were going to make it" Brooke said, her voice serious but trying not to sound vulnerable. She didn't look at him, instead she kept her eyes focused on Averie.

"I told you I would be here, so of course I'm going to be here" He told her, reaching a hand up and placing it on her arm.

Brooke looked over at him and into his blue eyes. Blue eyes that matched her daughters. "I know Lucas. Sometimes you just need to try harder, at least for her…"

And that's when Averie spotted him, "Daddy!" she squealed, jumping off of her swing and falling to the ground. She stood up, brushed off her dress and continued running towards her mom and dad, a huge smile gracing her face.

"Hey princess!" Lucas smiled, noticing how much she looked like her mom. He kneeled down and opened his arms to catch his running daughter.

"I missed you" Averie whispered into his neck as she hugged him tight.

"I missed you too" He said, pulling back and kissing the little girl.

Brooke watched them together and couldn't help but smile. She listened as Averie laughed and Lucas guessed what was different. The haircut that Brooke had taken Averie to get on impulse yesterday. Afterwards she couldn't believe she had taken her baby to get all of her precious long locks of hair cut off, but she had to admit, the short hair cut brought out the blue in her eyes and the dimples in her cheeks even more.

Brooke broke herself from her thoughts, remembering that she was in fact upset with Lucas at the moment. "Ready to go Ave?" Brooke asked.

Averie narrowed her eyebrows, placed one hand on her hip and shook her head no. "I want to play more, I am not even tired yet!"

"How about five more minutes?" Lucas suggested, looking towards Brooke to make sure that was fine with her, she nodded and Lucas shrugged his shoulders towards Averie.

"Okay," Averie said, knowing that five minutes wasn't long enough. She ran towards the playground anyways, this time taking her doll Lucy with her.

Lucas took the opportunity to link his fingers with Brooke's and lead her toward the park bench behind them.

"I'm sorry I was late" He said, turning towards her and keeping her hand tightly secured in his own. "Our meeting ran a little late this morning and I had to catch a later flight. I would have called you but my phone died. I drove to the house and you weren't there, so I called Haley and she said you two mentioned coming here."

"Couldn't you have called from the office or used an airport phone? You were supposed to be back Friday, but it got delayed, then you were supposed to be back this morning, and that got delayed. I can understand that, but she can't Lucas." Brooke said, looking from Lucas to Averie. "It's just…it's bad enough that you are always back and forth. I miss you Luke."

"I know, I'm sorry" Lucas said again, lifting his free hand to gently move a strand of hair out of Brooke's face. "But, you didn't even let me get to the good part yet" he said with a smile.

"And what's the good part?" Brooke asked, knowing that she could never stay upset with him, no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't help but let a small smile start to spread across her face at his excitement.

"Well" He said, holding her hand in between both of his now, "I am officially out of my contract with the afternoon sports show, and I met with my publisher this morning, and he thinks that I should start writing again…from Tree Hill."

Brooke's eyes lit up and she nearly jumped into Lucas' lap, "Really!" She squealed, throwing her arms around him, "So you are here now? For good?" She asked, holding his face in her hands.

"Yeah Pretty Girl, that's what I was trying to say" He said, "No more flying back and forth, no more delayed fli-"

Brooke cut him off, not being able to stop her lips from attacking his. She had to control herself seeing as they were at a park and all, but she couldn't help but kiss him hard and let her hands wander down his chest.

He pulled away from her laughing, "Slow down baby, we can celebrate later."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

**Flashback**

**Lucas came out of Averie's bedroom and found Brooke curled up on the couch reading a magazine. He smiled when he saw her, and watched for a few seconds as she flipped through the glossy pages. She looked up at him, barely noticing that he had entered the room.**

"**She's out like a light" Lucas announced, "She was asleep before I finished reading the first book."**

"**Good" Brooke smiled, moving over on the couch to give Lucas a spot to sit. **

"**It's okay," he said, motioning to the couch, "I think I am just going to go to bed, its been a long day."**

**Brooke nodded, "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then."**

**He told her goodnight, and as he walked away he could swear he saw a hint of sadness in her hazel eyes. He quickly got ready for bed, and settled into his covers, not actually tired at all. He just couldn't be around her right now. She had been living with him for three weeks, but would be moving back to Tree Hill in five days. Lucas couldn't imagine not living with her anymore, especially not living in the same city as her. He was going to miss Brooke and Averie like crazy, and wasn't looking forward to only seeing them on weekends. He took the book off of his nightstand and willed himself to be taken into a different world than his own.**

**He didn't know how long he had been staring at the pages of his book, not being able to read, when he heard a small knock on the door followed by, "Can I come in?"**

**Lucas cleared his throat, and nodded, "Yeah, its open."**

**Brooke slowly pushed the door open, moved from foot to foot, and fidgeted with the sleeve's of her shirt as she stood in his doorway. She looked like she wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure she was going to.**

"**Are you okay?" He asked, and watched as she slowly and sadly shook her head 'no'. He frowned at this, turned to his side and lifted up the blankets to his bed, "Come here" he told her, and watched as she crossed the room and awkwardly climbed into bed with him, trying to keep her distance.**

**They sat together in silence for a few minutes, and then finally Brooke turned towards him. "Lucas, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry." She said, her eyes round and her voice filled with sincerity. "God, I can't believe how badly I screwed things up. I'm leaving in five days, a choice that I made, but still all I can think about is you. I don't know how I could have acted so stupid."**

**Listening to her broke his heart, "Then stay. Don't go Brooke, just **_**stay**_**."**

**She bit on her bottom lip and shook her head, and he watched as tears started falling down her cheeks. **

"**No Luke, its not only that. It's **_**everything**_**. Last summer when I lost our baby, I felt like my whole world was crashing down around me. I felt like I had done something wrong, because why else would something so horrible be happening. And then you had to go to New York, and you were still so good to me. You were always there for me, but I was vulnerable and I was hurting. I don't know why but I felt like I didn't deserve you. I mean, I lost our baby Luke, why would you want me? I didn't even like being around myself, so why should you have to. When your friend came back, it was the perfect opportunity for me to let you go and not feel as bad about it. But I do feel bad, I regret it everyday. I regret letting you go, and letting myself go." She stopped for a second, sucked in her breath and wiped at the tears that were streaming down her face. "I tried to hide from everything, the only reason I woke up in the morning was for Averie. I thought it would be easier to stop loving you, but I realized that wasn't going to happen." She paused again, and looked away from Lucas and instead examined the palms of her hands. "Because I love you Lucas, I always have, and the biggest mistake that I have made was letting you go."**

**Lucas was surprised, because the Brooke Davis he knew wasn't ever this open about her feelings. He didn't waste any time before he scooped her up into his arms, letting her head rest on his shoulder while she cried. He gently rubbed her back and ran his fingers through her hair. He whispered that it would be okay, that he forgave her. And when she stopped crying, he lifted her face with his finger under his chin, and he told her, "I love you too, Brooke Davis."**

**His words seemed to bring out a new set of tears from her waterfall eyes. He hoped that she believed him when he told her he loved her, because he did. Because he always knew that her saying would be put to the test, and that when it was that they would find their way back to each other. He knew that Brooke was his future, and he knew that she knew that even if she was too scared to admit it. He didn't resent her for pushing him away, even though at times he wanted to. Instead he held on, and waited for her to come back to him. And somehow, with every day apart, he grew to love her more.**

"**I told you I have been waiting for you to come back to me" He said into her hair, a hint of happy in his voice. "You deserve to be happy, you know that right? And I do love you. I have loved you since the day I saw you attached to Kade's arm at that basketball dinner."**

**At that she let out a small laugh through her sniffles, and peeled her face away from his shoulder to look at him.**

"**Why are you being so kind and forgiving? I don't deserve it Lucas" She frowned.**

**He couldn't help but smile at her, "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You are brave, and scared. You're stubborn, intelligent, your beautiful and kind. Your caring, a great mother, and you have an amazing heart." He used his thumb to gently wipe the tears from her face. "You are the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about before I go to bed. You are it for me Brooke Davis, and I am completely lost without you."**

"**But why Lucas? Why aren't you mad? You should be mad…"**

"**Because I love you Brooke."**

**Brooke couldn't believe that after everything they had gone through, everything she had put their relationship through, that he could sit there and forgive her of all she had done. She didn't know how she got so lucky to have Lucas Scott love her, but she decided that she would never let him go again.**

**He cupped the side of her face with one hand and slowly moved closer to her. He touched his lips against hers softly, tasting the salt from her tears. When she tensed up he wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her closer and waiting for her to relax into the kiss. She moved her hands up to his face, slowly kissing him back. His tongue met hers, and it was the sweetest taste he had ever known. Their kiss started to speed up, and when her breathing matched his own, he lowered his fingers down to her stomach. He let his fingers slide under her sweatshirt and graze her cool, soft skin. She shivered when his hands made contact with her skin, but moved closer to him upon instinct.**

**She moaned into his mouth as his fingers massaged her abdomen and sides. She reached for his hands, willing them to dispose her of her shirt. He smiled at her urgency and willingly slid her shirt above her head, their lips losing contact for only a moment. She brought herself to her knees, unlocking her lips from Lucas' and staring down at him. She smiled shyly as she pulled of his shirt, and piece by piece they removed the rest of their clothing.**

**Lucas took control from there, showing Brooke how much he loved and missed her. He made love to her slowly, taking his time to make her happy. He had missed the way they fit so perfectly together, the way they both wanted the same things, and the way his name sounded on her lips. After their release, he held her in his arms, and she was more than happy to be there with him.**

**He ran his fingers through her hair until he thought she had fallen asleep. Then he reached over turned off his lamp and settled into bed with Brooke, closing his eyes and remembering the feeling of everything being right in the world.**

**He was exhausted and energized. He was content and needy. He couldn't close his eyes, because he wanted to spend the night watching Brooke sleep in his arms. He willed his eyes closed, happy with the feeling that she would still be there when he woke up in the morning.**

"**Broody" She mumbled, just when he was about to let himself go to sleep.**

"**Hmm" He responded, running his fingers along her arm.**

"**I love you" She said sleepily, smiling contently, and then nuzzling her face into his chest.**

"**I love you too Cheery," he whispered, knowing that she had already fallen back to sleep.**

**End Flashback**

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Ever since she moved back to Tree Hill, her and Lucas seemed to be inseparable. He spent his time between New York and Tree Hill, and they had settled into their new life together.

Brooke and Lucas sat on the couch while Averie rifled through their shelf of movies. She was curled up in his arms, and was feeling bad about how she acted earlier at the park. She sat up straight, letting his arm fall from her shoulder. "I'm sorry I freaked out earlier, but I was worried and I was looking forward to you coming home and I kind of had my own exciting news to tell you" she rambled, biting down on her bottom lip.

Lucas laughed, and rested a hand on her knee. "It's okay baby. I should have called you" he said, running a hand over her cheek. "And what was your exciting news?"

Brooke lifted a hand to her face and started chewing on her fingernail, "Well, I" she started, dropping her hand back down to her lap. "It's been a weird week, lets just say that, you were in New York, and I was busy and I didn't really notice that I was late." Lucas raised his eyebrows, not understanding what she was trying to get at, so she continued. "And I didn't really think anything of it, and then on Friday when I was waiting to see when you would be coming home I decided that I might as well….and so I did…"

"You did what?" Lucas said with a smile, trying not to laugh as he watched Brooke fidget. He grabbed her hand and held it in his as soon as she started to tug on the hem of her shirt.

"I took a pregnancy test…and I'm pregnant Lucas" She said, searching his face for his reaction.

He shook his head quickly, and then pulled her into his arms, not able to contain his shock and excitement. "So we, you're.."

"We're having a baby Lucas" She said into his ear, trying her hardest not to cry, even if they were tears of joy.

Averie, alarmed by her parents sudden movements and tears ran towards the couch and pried them apart. "Mommy" She said in the hiccup that comes before crying, her chest starting to heave up and down and her breathing started to speed up as her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm okay honey" Brooke said, smiling through her tears.

"Mommy is crying because she is happy" Lucas tried to explain, but it didn't work and tears started to rush down Averie's cheeks, the little girl clinging tightly to her mom.

"You is happy crying?" She asked through her tears into Brooke's hair.

"Yeah, I am happy crying" Brooke laughed.

Averie sat back and examined her mom. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and stared between her mom and her dad. "But, but why?"

"Because Ave, mommy is going to have a baby" Brooke smiled, wiping the tears from her daughters cheeks and then from her own.

"Like, a little one?" Averie asked, looking from her mom to her dad and trying to make sense of what they were saying.

"Yeah. Do you know what that means?" Lucas asked, Averie just shrugged her tiny shoulders. "It means that you are going to be a big sister."

"Just like Max is a big brother to Tessa" Brooke explained.

Averie suddenly began to smile, "I can have a Tessa now too?" She asked, feeling quite fond of her baby cousin.

Brooke and Lucas laughed, "You get your own baby brother or sister" Lucas told her.

Averie thought about this for a few seconds, and then crawled off of Brooke's lap and onto the floor. "Okay" she said, nodding her head. "Can I pick a movie now?"

Lucas laughed, pulling Brooke back towards him. "Yeah, go pick a movie."

Brooke leaned into Lucas and kissed him slowly, she pulled away from him, both of them smiling, they both watched Averie, amazed that they had made one perfect child together and were getting the chance to do it again.

"We're having another baby Luke," Brooke said contently.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

**A/N: What did you think? I am hoping you are all pretty happy right now! Make sure and let me know what you thought in your reviews! **


	53. All I Ever Wanted

**

* * *

**

**Brucas1992**, **othfan326**, and **dancercheerchick94** Thank you for your emails, you guys really helped me to write this chapter. If it wasn't for you guys writing me and asking me to finish this chapter it probably never would have been finished. This chapter is dedicated to you as well as to everyone else who has followed and reviewed this story from the beginning. I may have written this story, but it never would have happened with out all of your support. So I must say thank you! I really am surprised at how much you all liked this story! It started out as a small idea and grew into so much more! Thanks for all of your help, patience, support and love! You readers are the best!! So I can't believe this is the last chapter of _Baby, You_ _Wouldn't Last_. It's hard to believe this story is actually over. I am working on a few other ideas, and will eventually post them, so keep watching for new stuff :) I hope you all like this chapter, it is for _you_! This chapter jumps ahead in time a bit, but you will probably be able to figure that out! The song is called _Gone Away_ and is by Safetysuit... Enjoy!

* * *

**I **_think about _**you**_,_

_And __**all **__of the times that __we __shared_

_And oh, _

what a _w o n d e r f u l _**pair**_, _

_**We made it **__so __**far**__, here we _go _again_

_I think about _**love**_._

_And __**oh**__, _

_what _a _b e a u t I f u l _song_,_

_Sing __it so __loud __**all **__the __world __can __hear_

**Chapter Fifty Three- All I Ever Wanted**

Brooke stepped out of her store and was met with a gust of cold air. Tree Hill in December was one of her favorite times of the year. The trees lining the streets were covered in twinkling lights, and the pure, white snow on the ground made her feel peaceful. She tightened the black and white scarf around her neck and quickly walked to her car, not wanting to be late to pick up Averie. It was hard to believe that her baby was in school _all_ day now. This wasn't just half day kindergarten anymore, it was full on-eat lunch at school-first grade. Her sassy little toddler was becoming an independent little girl and it made Brooke wonder how they got here.

The last couple of years had been the happiest of her life, and Brooke couldn't imagine being anywhere else. She was married to her best friend, and had the family she had always dreamed of. Her clothing line was continually growing and business was booming. Luke had written another book since moving to Tree Hill, and had started a small publishing company so that he could help make other unknown authors dreams come true.

Brooke slowed down once she reached Tree Hill Elementary, and parked in front of the school. She was about five minutes early so she scanned through her e-mails on her I-Phone. Between her job and being a mom, Brooke had to use every free minute to her advantage. Trish was already getting on her case to start sending in the final designs of her spring line, and all Brooke could think about was scarves and boots. She quickly typed an e-mail to Trish, telling her that she was working on them and send them to her as soon as she could. Just as she finished her email, her phone started ringing.

Brooke looked at the name and picture on the screen and smiled, "Hey, what's up?"

"Are you at the school? Please say you are. I am running late, I had to pick Tessa up from preschool and I think Kamree has another ear infection so I called the pediatrician to get an appointment, and they said they could squeeze me in but I have to be there in fifteen minutes and I just don't know if-"

"Hales, slow down," Brooke laughed, "I can pick up Max, its not a problem."

"You are a lifesaver, I owe you. I'll call you when we are done at the doctor, and I can stop by and get Max on my way home."

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure Ave will be thrilled to have him come over. Give Kam and Tess a kiss for me. We'll see you guys soon."

Brooke hung up the phone and looked up to see kids piling out of the red brick building. She kept her eyes focused on the double doors, watching for Averie and Max to come out. Even though Max was a year ahead of Averie in school, they were always together. He looked out for her, and it had always been that way. They were best friends.

Brooke smiled and waved as soon as she saw Averie and Max walking towards her. Averie looked so small in her puffy pink coat and dark brown boots. Max was holding her hand, leading the way on the icy sidewalk. His light hair had darkened as he got older, and he looked more and more like Nathan everyday.

When the two kids approached the car Brooke rolled down the window, "Hey Mackey, your mom called me and you get to come home with us today, okay bud?"

Max nodded, and he and Averie climbed in the backseat. Averie crawled to the front seat, and threw her arms around Brooke. "Hi Mommy, I got a new book today and guess what? It's a level _three_!"

"That's great baby" Brooke grinned, turning around to make sure Averie and Max got buckled up. "Daddy is going to be so excited! We will have to read it before bedtime."

"Where is my mom at?" Max asked, pulling his hat off his head.

"She had to take Kamree to the doctor" Brooke frowned, feeling bad for the little girl.

"That's good because she was really grumpy last night." Max said, telling Brooke all about their frustrating night and how Kamree's crying had ruined their movie.

As soon as they pulled into the garage, Averie ran out of the car excited to tell her dad about the new book she got at school. Her love for reading definitely came from her dad, and Brooke loved it. Averie could be loud and out of control, and then the next moment she could be quiet and pensive. And even though Brooke might be biased, she had to admit that Averie was undoubtedly the perfect mix of her mom and dad.

Once they got home, Max ran inside after Averie, carrying both of their backpacks and dropping them right inside the door. Brooke followed, picked up the bags and hung them on the hooks by the garage door. She went in the kitchen and looked in the pantry for something that the kids could snack on. She could hear Averie and Max's voices coming towards hers and smiled as she listened to them telling Lucas all about their days. They ran into the kitchen, immediately climbing onto barstools and reaching for the apples and carmel-dip that Brooke had set out on the counter.

"Where did your dad go?" Brooke asked, taking a bite out of an apple. "I heard you two talking to him right before you came in here."

"I dunno" Averie shrugged, twisting on her stool and telling Max about the kid in her class that got sick while they were in the computer lab.

"You are great help" Brooke laughed, pulling on Averie's ponytail and leaving the room to find Lucas. She went into the living room and sat on the couch to take off her shoes. She unzipped her boots and pulled them off, listening as Lucas walked down the stairs.

He smiled as soon as he saw her, "I missed you today."

Lucas sat by Brooke on the couch and she immediately climbed into his arms. She ran the palms of her hands over his sweater, "Mmm, I missed you too Broody" Brooke smiled, leaning towards him and kissing him softly. She rested her head on his chest and smiled as Lucas held her tight.

"How was your day?" He asked, resting his chin on top of her head.

"It was long" Brooke shrugged, "but it was good. The store was busy. I think everyone is Christmas shopping and so its kind of crazy. But I like it. How was your day? How was my baby?"

"Good, we were good." Lucas nodded, running his fingers through Brooke's hair. "We went into the office for a little bit and I started reading a new manuscript which seems promising."

Brooke smiled and closed her eyes as she listened to Lucas talk. Sometimes just laying in his arms and listening to him talk about simple everyday things was all she needed to relax completely. She felt like they had been made for each other and that all the problems they had in the past just made them stronger. The downtimes in their relationship just made them value it so much more.

Brooke was slowly drifting to sleep when she heard 'Mama out out' over the baby monitor followed by 'daaaad-d-d'.

"I'll go" Brooke smiled, nearly jumping off of the couch. "Max and Ave are in there eating a snack, will you go make sure they aren't destroying my kitchen and I'll meet you in there?" Brooke asked, kissing Lucas quickly and making her way upstairs.

She pushed the door across from her and Luke's room open and smiled at the bouncy little boy jumping up and down in the crib.

"Hi Jacks" Brooke cooed, walking over and scooping her little boy out of his crib. She ran her fingers over his silky light brown baby hair. He rested his chubby fingers on her cheeks and gave her a gummy smile, saying 'hi mama, hi' before resting his head on her shoulder. "Did you have a good nap Jackson? I missed you today" Brooke smiled, kissing his forehead as she laid him on the changing table. "Should we go find your daddy and Averie?" Brooke asked, and he kicked his legs excitedly.

Jackson Lucas Scott was fourteen months old now and getting bigger everyday. He was starting to talk now, and was already walking…although quite wobbly. Lucas was already teaching him to throw a basketball, and he was very coordinated for a baby. Averie loved being a big sister and wanted to be around Jackson all the time. She was constantly holding him and kissing him and even loved changing his diaper, which Brooke and Lucas took full advantage of.

Jackson was the baby that Brooke and Lucas had waited for, and they were glad that they finally had their little boy.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

It was a Friday night and two weeks before Christmas. Averie was out of school for the holidays, and was getting more impatient for Christmas to come every day. She was starting to drive Brooke and Lucas crazy, constantly asking when it was time for Santa to come. Jackson liked Christmas just about as much as his sister did. He was constantly pulling ornaments off of the Christmas tree and loved looking at the sparkling lights lining the houses as they drove in the car.

"Mommy," Averie whined from her spot on the couch. She turned around, pressed her hands and face to the window and stared out into the snow. "When are they going to get _here_?"

Jackson followed his sister, stood next to her on the couch and tapped on the window, "Mommy" he repeated.

"They will be here tomorrow morning, so instead of staring out the window how about you come help me make popcorn for our movie" Brooke said, wrapping an arm around Averie and the other around Jackson and lifting them off of the couch. Jackson thought it was fun, laughing and kicking his arms as Brooke lifted him up. Averie frowned, wiggled out of her moms arms and ran ahead of Brooke into the kitchen.

"Why is Ave so sad?" Lucas asked as his daughter walked into the kitchen.

"I just want them to come tonight" Averie frowned, climbing onto a barstool and resting her chin in her hands.

Lucas set a big plastic bowl next to Averie on the counter, "Tomorrow Sass," He said, ruffling her wet hair.

Brooke sat down next to Averie, resting Jackson on her lap. She tried not to laugh at her five year old pouting daughter while Lucas just smiled and gave Brooke the 'she is a mini-you' look.

"Grab the popcorn and we'll go pick a movie," Lucas said to Averie, she gave him a tiny smile, nodded and followed him into the living room.

Brooke started to look through the mail that was on the counter, letting Jackson play with the envelopes after she had opened them. She loved Christmas time, because their mailbox was always filled with Christmas cards. She couldn't even count how many cards of her own she sent out this year, all she knew was that Lucas would have a fit if he knew how much money she spent on stamps. She was excited when she opened one from Bevin, her old friend from High School. It was exciting to see Bevin with kids! There were a few addressed to Lucas from his friends in New York, and his old basketball coach.

Then she came to two cards with return addresses that she didn't know. She opened the first one, letting Jacks take the envelope from her hand. She opened the card, smiling at the picture that was inside. It was from Owen, and his new fiance Amanda. Owen had moved out last year, deciding that he needed to work things out with Amanda, and that they should work on their problems somewhere warm. It was good to see that he was doing good, and she knew that Averie would be thrilled to see this picture.

When she opened the next card, she noticed the pretty red and green card, no picture inside. She shrugged, and started reading, knowing exactly who the card was from.

Kade.

The card seemed to be some sort of apology. He wished Brooke and her family a Merry Christmas. It was nice, and actually made Brooke feel relieved. She saw Kade's mom around town sometimes, so she wasn't surprised that Kade knew that her and Lucas had gotten married and had another baby. It made Brooke feel better to know that Kade was okay, that he was moving on, and that she didn't need to feel guilty anymore.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke opened her eyes the next morning, and sighed happily when she felt Lucas' arms wrap tighter around her. She loved mornings like this, when they got to wake up together. This didn't happen very often anymore, it always seemed that something prevented quiet mornings like these. Either Brooke had to be at the store early, or Lucas was in his office working on a new book. If their jobs weren't requiring their attention, one of the kids were. Not that Brooke didn't mind those things, but it was still nice to wake up still wrapped up in Lucas' arms, their legs intertwined together under the sheets.

She ran her fingers along his bare chest and snuggled her face into his shoulder.

"Good morning" Lucas said sleepily, running his fingers through Brooke's messy hair.

"Mmhmm" Brooke smiled, breathed happily into his warm skin.

Lucas rolled over suddenly, pinning Brooke underneath him. He watched as she smiled, biting on her bottom lip. He couldn't help but stare at her, and think about how much he loved waking up to her. He ran a finger softly along the edges of her face before tucking her hair behind her ears. He slowly lowered his face towards hers, softly touching their noses together before pressing his lips against hers.

Brooke smiled against his lips before deepening the kiss. She ran her hands up his chest, along the side of his face and into his short, messy hair. She couldn't help but breathe heavier when she felt Luke's hands run down her sides and stop at her hips. His body was pressing harder into hers but she still didn't feel like he was close enough.

Just as things were starting to get heated and Brooke and Lucas were becoming completely lost in each other, reality came crashing down on them. They were startled when they heard the sound of something shattering.

Lucas slid off of Brooke quickly, looking up alarmed. Brooke covered her eyes with her hands, not sure if she wanted to know what was going on downstairs.

"What the hell?" Brooke squeaked.

"Are they awake?" Lucas asked, looking between Brooke and the door. When he didn't hear any more sounds, he climbed out of bed to investigate. This wouldn't be the first time his kids had snuck downstairs and gotten into trouble or made horrendous messes.

Lucas pulled a white t-shirt over his head as he made his way down the stairs. He walked around the corner and peeked into the living room. Jackson was sitting on the rug under the Christmas tree in his blue striped pajamas, he was shaking one of the presents that Brooke insisted on putting under the tree. Averie was on the opposite side of the Christmas tree, kneeling down in her polka dotted pajamas with her back turned to Lucas.

Jackson noticed Lucas in the doorway and started kicking his legs wildly. "Daaaaad" He grinned, waving his hands over his head while still holding the present.

Averie snapped up, turning around as soon as Jackson uttered the 'd' word. "It was an accident" She said seriously, holding her hands out in front of her. "We were just looking at the presents Daddy," She said nervously.

Jackson threw the present and clumsily stood up, walking over to Lucas and reaching his arms up. Lucas picked the little boy up, smoothing the unruly curls on the little boys head. "What was an accident?" he asked, walking towards Averie.

"The ornament" Averie frowned, looking down on the ground. "The one Grandma sent it to us, and I didn't mean to drop it."

Lucas noticed the shiny shards of broken glass twinkling behind Averie's feet.

"What's going on down here?" Brooke asked, wrapping her robe in front of her as she walked into the living room. She walked towards Lucas, sliding under his arm and tickling Jackson's feet.

"Averie just dropped an ornament," Lucas explained. He kissed Jackson on the forehead before handing him to Brooke. "Come on Ave, I don't want you to step on the glass" he told her, lifting her into his arms. Averie hid her face in Lucas' shoulder, and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "It's okay, we can clean it up." Lucas told her, knowing that she was about to cry.

"Its no big deal Avie," Brooke said, running her fingers through Averie's long brown hair.

"But Grandma sent it" Averie sniffle, her voice muffled in Luke's t-shirt.

"She has given us a lot of Christmas ornaments, so I think it will be okay" Brooke told her. "Let's go get some breakfast and dad can clean up this mess."

Averie lifted her head up off of Lucas' shoulder and wiped at her eyes. "Okay," She sniffled, attaching herself to Brooke's leg as soon as Lucas set her down. "Does Aunt Chae still get to come today? Even if I broke it?"

"Of course she is still coming" Brooke smiled, leaning down and tickling Averie's sides. She set Jackson on the ground next to his sister. "Take Jacks into the kitchen and see how high you can count until I get in there, okay?"

Averie nodded, "Come on Duckie" she said, grabbing his tiny chubby hand in hers and leading the babbling little boy into the kitchen.

Brooke looked at Lucas and they both started laughing. "I think it was our fault, being so naïve and actually _thinking _they would sleep in, we set ourselves up to get interrupted." Brooke teased, wrapping her arms around Lucas' neck.

Lucas laughed, leaning down and grazing her nose before kissing her softly. "And to think that after today when everyone gets here our house won't be quiet until after Christmas."

Brooke pulled Lucas towards her, and kissed him again. "Oh but Broody, our house is _never _quiet."

Lucas nodded his agreement before pulling Brooke in closer. He pressed his lips against hers, grazing his tongue along her bottom lip while his fingers pulled at her robe. They learned to relish small moments together, even if they only lasted for a few seconds or minutes.

"Mommy!" Averie yelled from the kitchen. "I am at thirty now!"

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke leaned back against Lucas and sighed contently. She was sitting with him on the couch, and looking around her family room, she couldn't be happier. It was one of her favorite times of the year, and that for one made her extremely happy and giddy. That coupled with the fact that she was surrounded by her family and friends gave her an instant perma-grin.

Chae and Jake had flown in a few hours earlier, deciding to take a break from their busy New York lives and spend the holiday season in Tree Hill. Averie was thrilled to see them, she always had a close bond with Chae and when they were together they were inseparable.

Brooke just smiled and ran her fingers through Jackson's silky baby hair as he fell asleep on her lap. She was laying against Lucas, and even though she couldn't see him, she could tell he was already asleep. She watched Chae and Jake read a story to Averie, the three of them sitting on the love seat, with the lights from the Christmas tree giving off a golden glow.

Averie's eyes lit up and she started to giggle, looking up at Chae while Jake read the story in a silly voice. Chae was laughing too, running her fingers through Averie's long pony tail.

Jake finished the story and closed the book. He stretched his arms and then pulled Averie onto his lap. "Alright kiddo, I am pretty tired. How about I tuck you into your bed before I go to my bed?"

"And then we can play all day tomorrow?" Averie asked, trying to rub the tired out of her eyes.

"Of course" Jake said, tickling Averie's sides and making her laugh tiredly. "But if we are going to play all day tomorrow then we need to get a lot of rest tonight."

Averie thought about this for a few seconds, staring at Jake skeptically. She was trying to figure out if she was being tricked or not. Then she let out a big yawn, and nodded her head. "Okay, I guess we can go to bed now." She climbed from Jake's lap back over to Chae's. "Goodnight Sae Sae" Averie said, smiling tiredly as she wrapped her arms tightly around Chae. "Love you."

"I love you too Sassy" Chae smiled hugging Averie tightly.

Averie slid off of Chae's lap and ran over to Brooke. She leaned over Jackson, and kissed him softly on the head. She then climbed up on the couch next to Brooke and softly hugged her, making sure not to wake up her brother. "I love you Mommy, goodnight" She said in a whisper, kissing Brooke.

"I love you too baby" Brooke smiled.

"Will you tell daddy I said goodnight? And will you come kiss me before you go to bed?" Averie asked, resting her head on Brooke's shoulder.

"Of course I will" Brooke smiled, kissing Averie's forehead. "Sleep good, okay princess?"

Averie nodded, climbed off of the couch and ran over to Jake. "Alright girls, don't stay up too late" Jake said with a wink, knowing that Brooke and Chae would probably stay up all night talking. "I'm going to bed. If you need me, then come get me" he said to Chae. He leaned down, kissed Chae and then picked up Averie. She rested her head on his shoulder and they went upstairs.

Brooke sat up, resting Jackson on her shoulder. He whimpered softly when she moved him, but kept his eyes closed. Brooke ran her hand along the side of Lucas' face. "You should go up to bed too" She told him when his eyes slowly opened.

Lucas adjusted his eyes to the light in the room. "Do you want me to take him up?" He asked, nodding towards Jackson.

"That would be great" Brooke smiled.

Lucas leaned down and kissed her sleepily. He then lifted Jackson into his arms. "Will you be up soon?" He asked Brooke.

Brooke shrugged, "Yeah, I should be" she said with a full dimple smile.

Lucas leaned down, kissing her once more. He then looked towards Chae who was now curled up into the love seat with a blanket. "I'm glad you guys are here, I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight Luke" Chae smiled, waving to him as he left the room. After he was up the stairs, Chae stood from the love seat, grabbed her blanket and went to sit on the couch by Brooke.

"Can you believe we are actually here?" Chae said, leaning towards Brooke and sharing her blanket. Brooke looked at her with a raised eyebrow and started to laugh. "No seriously." Chae said, waving a dismissive hand at Brooke. "I mean, it seems like just yesterday we were living in that little apartment, and Averie was a tiny, pink, wrinkled, crying baby. And you and Lucas were working on getting back on track, and god knows what was going on with Jake and I. But look at us now, there are babies, and houses, and actual businesses."

"We have been through a lot haven't we?" Brooke said with a small laugh. "And we made it through, and everything was worth it." They sat in silence for a few seconds before Brooke added, "I can't say I miss those clueless days when I first brought Averie home. Neither of us had any idea of what to do with a baby." Brooke laughed.

"Hey! It's not like Lucas was much help either" Chae said defensively. "He put her diapers on backwards at least four times before he realized the right way to do it."

Brooke laughed, covering her eyes with her hands. "That poor baby! You would never know it now though. You need to have her read to you while you guys are here. I swear that kid is a genius, and I know I might be biased because she's my baby, but she is a little Lucas when it comes to books."

"I'm glad she is a little Luke when it comes to books and not a little Brooke, because then we would be in trouble."

"Hey!" Brooke squealed, swatting Chae on the arm.

They were interrupted by a whimpering sound coming from next to the couch. Chae immediately scooted from the couch onto the floor, and scooted towards the brown and pink paisley infant car seat on the floor next to the couch.

"Is she awake?" Brooke asked, leaning over the arm of the couch to get a better look.

"She's ready to eat" Chae said softly, lifting the tiny baby girl out of her car seat.

"God, I still can't believe you have a _baby_" Brooke grinned, watching Chae with her baby.

"I know" Chae smiled, cradling the infant while Brooke smoothed a hand over her tiny head. She adjusted the baby in her arms, "Sometimes I can't believe it. I never thought I would be here…you know, married…baby…_house_. I always just thought I would spoil Averie and date forever."

Brooke just rolled her eyes, still smoothing the dark brown silky hair on the babies head. She had to admit, seeing Chae and Jake today with their baby was a real trip. It was definitely surreal, all of their families being together again. Brooke sighed, leaning back into the couch and pulling her knees up to her chest.

When Chae finished feeding the baby, she bit on her bottom lip and stared at Brooke. "I really, really have to go to the bathroom. Do you mind burping her?"

"Uhm, of course I don't mind!" Brooke practically squeals, reaching for the baby and resting her on her shoulder.

It was so weird to hold an infant again, every time she held the baby today she felt awkward at first. Brooke was used to Averie, who was still extremely cuddly and Jackson who was getting bigger and wiggly everyday. Jillian Elyse Jagielski was barely four weeks old, weighed only nine pounds, and with her long black eyelashes and even darker hair, she made Brooke extremely _baby-hungry_.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

It's weird how the sun shining off of the snow can be so incredibly _blinding _as you practically _freeze _to death. Brooke wasn't sure whose idea it was to come to the park when the thermometer told you it was freezing outside, all she knew was that it wasn't hers. But, she had to admit that frostbite was worth the looks on her kids faces, or what you could see of them anyways. Averie pouted, complained, and argued relentlessly when Brooke was wrapping her in layers before leaving the car. Jackson, he didn't mind as much, but was having a hard time walking through the snow in his bulky snowsuit. Haley's kids were bundled up too, maybe not nearly as much as her own kids were though.

Brooke was standing at the bottom of the small hill, watching as Lucas, Nathan, and Jake repeatedly pulled sleds full of kids up the hill. Averie, Max, and Tessa were having the time of their lives in the snow. Brooke had a feeling the kids would stay here sledding all day if they could. Jackson liked the snow too, but he was happy to sit at his moms feet, kick his legs and throw the snow above his head. Kamree, who just celebrated her first birthday didn't like the snow as much and wouldn't leave Haley's arms. Chae stayed home with baby Jilli, and Brooke was almost jealous.

"Poor guys," Haley laughed, walking over and standing next to Brooke. "You would think the kids are old enough to walk their own sleds up the hill."

Brooke laughed, "Well, if they are dumb enough to do it for them, then props to the kids." She held her hands out to Kamree who was laying her head on Haley's shoulder and frowning. "I don't like the snow either" Brooke said, shaking her head as she adjusted the bundled little girl on her hip. Brooke pulled Kamree's blanket tighter around her and smiled as she watched the kids fly down the hill on their sleds. "Do you think that you and Nate will have more kids?"

Haley shrugged, "I've always wanted a big family. I grew up with a lot of siblings, and I loved it. So probably…"

"Having Jilli here is really making me want another one" Brooke confessed, looking at Haley as she bit on her lip.

"What does Luke think about that?"

Brooke sighs, handing Kamree back to Haley when she starts to wiggle. "He thinks that Jacks just started sleeping through the night and we shouldn't press our luck."

Haley laughed, "And since when did Lucas stop giving into you?" Brooke looks alarmed at this statement and Haley shakes her head. "Brooke, he can't say no to you…"

"I don't know Hales," Brooke says, and then stops talking as soon as Lucas walks towards them.

"Hey babe" He smiles, rubbing his hands together. He loves being outside, he's in his element. "Cold yet?"

"Freezing" Brooke says, rolling her eyes. "Jackson's nose is pink, and Averie keeps taking her scarf off. Can't we go?"

"The kids are having fun, and they aren't destroying either of our houses" Haley laughs. "I just have a hard time disrupting that."

Brooke pouts and Lucas wraps his arms around her. She slips her hand into his coat pocket.

"How about we let them play for ten minutes and then we can go home and I'll start up the Cocoa-latte machine?" Lucas bargains.

Brooke nods her head slowly, and lets a small smile creep on her face. "Okay, it's a deal. But you are making the hot chocolate, not me."

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

By the time they get all five kids unloaded from the car and into Brooke and Lucas' house, four of them are crying. Tessa and Averie are crying and trying to say which parts of their bodies are frozen through their tears. Jackson is crying and pulling at his clothing, but Brooke can tell he is just ready for a nap. Kamree, who didn't like the snow to begin with, is most likely just cold and tired. Max runs through the house, excited to tell Chae all about their adventures.

"Looks like you guys had a blast" Chae smirks, walking into the kitchen and handing a sleeping Jillian to her daddy. "Come here Avie, lets go find your blankey." She picks a crying Averie up, and Brooke mouths 'thank you' as she carries her away.

Brooke and Haley somehow get all of the kids changed into warm clothes, dry their hair, and calm them down before Nathan loses his patience and Jake gets scared away from fatherhood. Lucas is running around the kitchen like a madman, trying to make and hand out hot chocolate from his Cocoa-latte machine, stumbling over discarded winter clothing and upset children. Somehow everyone ends up in the family room, warm and happy.

The kids have made a bed out of pillows on the floor, and are all laying down watching Frosty the Snowman on TV. Averie and Max are the only ones that are still awake, and even they are fighting to keep their eyes open.

Brooke cuddles into Lucas' side, happy to be back in her warm house. She listens contently to the background noise of the TV, the giggles coming from Averie and Max who are huddled closely together, and Haley telling Chae and Jake a funny story about her kids. Brooke unlinks her fingers from Luke's, and unconsciously beings turning his wedding ring around his finger. She has everyone she loves and cares about in this room, they are her family, her best friends. And she feels an overwhelming sense of safety and happiness.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

On Christmas Eve, Haley has everyone over to her house for dinner. When it comes to food on holidays, Haley doesn't leave anything out. You can smell the turkey from the front porch. She makes homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, and yams. There's even a ham, drizzled with brown sugar. There are pies and cookies and jell-o lining her countertops.

Brooke and Lucas let their kids open a present before they came over. Averie is dressed in a white nightgown covered in Santa hats. She waves her new Barbie doll around above her head as Lucas carries her to the door. Jackson has the same Christmas pajama's as his sister, but his are fleece and have feet built into the bottom. He is bouncy and wiggly driving a new car along Brooke's shoulders.

"Remember, no playing by Aunt Haley's tree" Lucas reminds Averie as they walk to the door.

"I know daddy" Averie says, annoyed. "And anyways, I don't even want to. Her tree isn't very sparkly. And I only like things that sparkle." She says with certainty, waving her Barbie in front of his face and letting him admire the pink Barbie dress that's covered in glitter.

"Well, I hope Santa knows that you only like things that sparkle, because if he doesn't you might be disappointed tomorrow" Lucas shrugs.

Averie shakes her head quickly, "No, I do like other things too. I just like sparkles the best." She wiggles out of Lucas' arms as soon as they are in the doorway, running through the house to find Max.

"Sassy much?" Brooke says with a laugh.

"She's all you" Lucas decides, intertwining his fingers with Brooke's as they head to the kitchen.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

When Haley celebrates a holiday, she doesn't disappoint. She made so much food that her family will probably be eating leftovers for weeks. It makes Haley happy to have everyone over to celebrate, and that's all that matters. After dinner Brooke and Chae help Haley clean up the kitchen, while the guys hang out in the living room with the kids. By the time the girls made it into the living room, the kids were all passed out on the floor.

"Guess the food got to them?" Brooke said, nodding towards Averie, Max, and Tessa who were huddled together on the floor, all of them sound asleep. Brooke walked over to Lucas and snuggled up to his side. She reached across his body to where Jackson was sleeping and smoothed his hair.

"Haley is that good" Jake grinned, adjusting baby Jillian on his shoulder when she started to squirm.

"Christmas Eve at my house was always a big deal" Haley said with a small smile, curling up next to Nathan. She glanced towards the baby monitor, making sure the green light was on just in case Kamree woke up. "My sisters and I would all gather together in one of our bedrooms, and we would stay up as late as we possibly could," She paused to laugh, "it drove my mom _crazy_."

"That sounds amazing" Chae grinned, running a light finger along Jillian's back as she slept. "I hope Jilli gets that. At least one brother or sister to share things with. My house was always so lonely with just me there. I didn't have anyone to share the holidays with. The best years were when we would go to my grandma's, because she just had so much spirit."

"Haley was lucky," Brooke agreed, "And I was even more lucky because her mom would let me crash their holidays."

"I think just with all of us here now, making memories for our kids is what counts" Jake said.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

After drinking a little bit too much wine, Brooke and Lucas made their way home, a little too late. Chae and Jake were spending the night with his family, and it was nice to have their house back to normal. It took a little while to get Jackson and Averie settled into bed, but luckily they were exhausted.

Lucas was camped out on their bedroom floor, his toolbox open, and a bunch of pink bike pieces surrounding him. He set the instruction packet aside, and began sorting through the pieces and deciding which ones fit together. He can hear Brooke in the bathroom, getting ready for bed and humming jingle bells.

Once he has all of the bike pieces sorted out, he decides to reach for the instructions, because he isn't sure what to do with the pile of random pieces. He is excited for Averie to see the pink pony bike once its all finished, he knows that she will love it. Christmas mornings with his kids is always fun, and it reminds him of his childhood.

"How's it going in there?" Brooke calls from the bathroom, her voice loud and raspy.

"Good" Lucas says back.

"Are you ready to take a break?" She asks, this time her voice is closer to him. He turns around, and watches as she leans against the doorframe of the bathroom, her hand on her hip. She's smiling at him, wearing only scraps of red lingerie and he is instantly hard. "Because, if you are…" She says, walking towards him, grabs his hand and pulls him into a standing position, "You can have your Christmas present early."

"Well," Lucas mutters as he feels Brooke's breath hot on his neck while her hands wander under his shirt. "It's after twelve, so technically it is already Christmas."

"Mmm" She purrs against his ear before tossing his shirt to the ground. "You have a good point."

Lucas nods, pulling her closer towards him, his fingers tangling in her hair as he kisses her hard. He pulls back and she begins nipping at his neck. "Well then what are we waiting for?"

Brooke laughs, pushes her body harder against his and reattaches her lips to his. They lose their balance as they walk backwards towards their bed, their hands fumbling over fabric and zippers.

Lucas falls backwards onto the bed, and Brooke hovers over him. The sheets on their bed are cool against his warm body. Her cheeks are flushed, her lips swollen and her hair is spilling around her face. Her fingers travel roughly down his chest making Lucas groan as she starts to tug on his pants and boxers. His left hand travels the side of her body, making her spine curve towards his touch while his right hand reaches for the back of her head, pulling her face towards him. She smiles against his lips while he fumbles to unhook her bra.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

_Wake up Jacks, its Christmas. We have to go see if Santa came. Waaaake up!_

Brooke wakes up to the sound of Averie's whispers over the baby monitor. She opens her eyes and is faced with Lucas' bare chest, and she feels his arms wrapped loosely around her. It's early, she can tell by the pounding in her head. As the memories of the night before flash through her memory she can't help but smile. She scoots away from Lucas, rolls over and looks at the clock. It's barely after five in the morning. After checking the time, she rolls back towards Lucas, reaches her face towards his and kisses him lightly on the lips.

"Merry Christmas" She smiles, running a finger along his cheek as his eyes slowly open.

Once his eyes are open he looks at her and smiles, pulling her tighter against him. "Merry Christmas to you too, Pretty Girl."

She blushes, and waits for him to lean down and kiss her. She loses herself in him, all of her senses are completely filled with Lucas Scott and once again she is filled with the overwhelming sense of love.

Brooke turns her head towards the doorway when she hears tiny footsteps. Suddenly Averie appears in the open door. She looks tiny standing in the big door, holding her pink blanket closely against her with an anxious look on her face.

"Come here baby" Brooke smiles, letting Averie know that its okay that she is awake so early. Brooke lifts open the covers, and Averie grins from ear to ear, looking like a carbon copy of her mother.

"Mommy, Daddy" Averie says with a huge smile as she hurries towards them and climbs into their bed. "I think I heard reindeer last night. You know what _that_ means right?" She asks in a whisper.

Brooke hugs Averie towards her and kisses the top of her head. "Reindeer? In Tree Hill?" She asks in shock, and Averie sits up looking entirely thrilled. Brooke turns and looks at Lucas, "Honey, I think Ave is going crazy."

"I think so" Lucas agrees, "You know what we are going to have to do about that right?" He asks, and Brooke nods. "We are going to have to tickle it out of her!"

Averie breaks out into a fit of giggles as soon as her mom and dad attack her with tickles. "I heard reindeer" She says, gasping for breath between her laughs, "Because _Santa _came!" She kicks her legs and waves her arms, wiggling away from her parents.

"Oh yeah" Brooke sighed, shaking her head. "I almost forgot that its Christmas!"

"Can we go look downstairs?" Averie asks, crossing her fingers as if she is ready to beg. She stares up at her parents, begging with her big blue eyes. As soon as she can tell that they won't say no she scrambles out of their bed. "I'll go make sure Jacks is awake!"

They laugh as she runs out of the room, leaving her blanket behind.

**OTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTHbrucasOTH**

Brooke holds Jackson in her lap, running her fingers through his soft baby hair. He is ripping wrapping paper that covers the floor, and babbling as he reaches for more. He is more entertained with the mess from opening Christmas presents, than from his actual gifts. You can't see the carpet, it is only a sea of greens, reds, and every sized box you can think of. Averie moves on from toy to toy, in her own world of Barbie's and dress-ups. She stands up, wearing a pink leotard, bright green leg warmers, a black tutu and sparkly fairy wings. She nearly runs into Lucas as he walks in with two coffee mugs, apologizes and skips towards her new bike. Jackson crawls off of Brooke's lap, throws his wrapping paper and runs off-balanced to chase his sister around the kitchen while she rides her bike.

Lucas sits down on the ground next to Brooke, handing her a cup of coffee. "I told her no riding the bike in the house" Lucas says, nodding towards Averie who is zooming around the hard wood floor on her bike, while a hysterically laughing Jackson chases after her. "If they weren't so dang cute and if she didn't have those dimples, that bike would be out in the garage."

Brooke leans into Lucas, linking her fingers through his. She kisses his lips and tastes coffee and cream. She laughs, and squeezes his fingers. "You know you can't tell her no." It's funny, because for being such a strong, tough guy, Lucas melts over his girls and baby boy. She knows he would do anything for them, and he's proven it over and over. He raises an eyebrow in disagreement, and Brooke laughs, "Baby, you wouldn't last."

Lucas just shakes his head, and they watch as Averie abandons her bike, grabs Jackson's hand and leads him back into the living room. They listen as she picks up her art set and tells Jackson that they are going to draw Santa a thank you picture.

Brooke smiles contently, and realizes that they have made it. Even though their road together was hard, with so many ups and downs, that they were finally where they were supposed to be. They had two happy and healthy kids, and they had each other. She wouldn't change anything.

"Luke," She says softly, looking up into the blue eyes that held their story.

"Yeah?" He says softly, smiling at her and taking a sip of his coffee.

"I love you" she smiles softly, breathing in the therapeutic smell of pine and leaning her head against his shoulder. "That's all."

He kisses the top of her head, and is filled with a genuine sense of happy and peace. "I love you too Brooke." He pauses, watching Jackson and Averie, laying on their bellies and coloring pictures. "More than you know."

**The End :)**

* * *

So, what did you think? Leave me one last review and tell me your final thoughts because I would love to read them! Thanks for waiting so long for this chapter, after a lot of failed attempts, loss of inspiration, and an extremely busy life I finally finished it! Thank you once again to all of my readers, and an extra special thanks to everyone who reviewed! This was for you! I love you all! XOXOX Lindsay :)


End file.
